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<HEAD>
<TITLE>Rank Panda User Manual</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR="ffffff">
<CENTER><TABLE>
<TD ALIGN = MIDDLE><FONT SIZE = 6>Rank Panda User Manual</FONT>
</TABLE></CENTER>
<A NAME = "top"></A>
<H2 ALIGN = CENTER>Table of Contents</H2>
<P>
<A HREF = "#start">Getting Started</A><br>
<A HREF = "#creatm">Creating Moves</A><br>
<A HREF = "#draw">Drawing Sets</A><br>
<A HREF = "#addc">Adding Commands</A><br>
<A HREF = "#editm">Editing Moves</A><br>
<A HREF = "#timel">Animation and the Move Progress Bar</A><br>
<A HREF = "#anim">Export to PDF</A><br>
<A HREF = "#coml">Quick Reference Commands</A><br>
<A HREF = "#faq">Frequently Asked Questions</A>
<A NAME = "start"></A>
<H2 ALIGN = CENTER>Getting Started</H2>
<H3>Welcome to RankPanda</H3>
Welcome to RankPanda, the program that makes writing drill easier and faster
than ever before. This user maunal provides both an in depth explanation of
the features of RankPanda and a set of tutorials to get you started writing
drill.<br><br>
RankPanda is cross-platform and compatible with current versions of Windows,
Linux, and Mac operating systems.<br>
<B>Requirements:<br></B><A HREF =
"http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.6/">Python 2.6<br><A HREF =
"http://wxpython.org">wxPython</A><br>
<A HREF =
"http://www.pygame.org/download.shtml">pygame</A><br>
Unicode compatible font<br>Python, its libraries and a working font are included with the RankPanda
installation package.
<H3>Songs</H3>
Since each drill is designed to match a piece of music, the song is the
basic unit of RankPanda. Songs are saved and loaded as .panda files
containing the information about all the ranks and moves. A song in RankPanda can even be associated with a music file.
<br><br>
When RankPanda is started, the program can either create a new song file or open a previously saved song. The new song wizard
asks for the title of a song, the number of measures, and the timing of the
song. All three of these fields must be filled. The title must not be blank,
and the total # of measures must be a number.
For the count information field, one set of information added lasts until
the end of the song or until the next measure where either the time
signature of the song or the counts/step changes. These fields contain the
default 4 counts per measure and 1 count per step starting from measure 1.
This is the most common setting, and "half time" is 2 counts per step.<br><br>
Incorrect count information an be overwritten by entering the measure
again with new count information. Count information that is the same
as the previous count information does not appear, and this can be used to
delete count/measure information. <br><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/songwiz.gif"></CENTER>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "ARIAL">The song creation wizard with example
values.</FONT></CENTER><br><br>
A newly created song contains a single move0, a preset move of length 1
that starts at count 0.
This is enough to draw a set of ranks, but to add commands more moves are necessary.
<br><br>
<A HREF = "#top">top</A>
<A NAME = "creatm"></A>
<H2 ALIGN = CENTER>Creating Moves</H2>
Moves divide a song into more manageable portions. They consist of a set of
ranks and the lists of commands needed to get the rank into position from
the previous move.
<H3>Inserting Moves</H3>
Selecting the "New" option from the "Move" menu opens the new/edit move
wizard. A move can be inserted anywhere into a song. Once the starting and
ending measures of move are entered, the name of the move and the number of
counts in the move are automatically calculated. The move can be named, but
generally this is not recommended. Unnamed moves default to "Move 0", "Move 1",
and so on. The start and end measures cannot overlap with that of any other
move and cannot exceed the number of measures in the song or the move
cannot be created. Once a move is created, the name, measures, and counts of
the move are displayed above the grid, and a thumbnail of the move appears
to the right.<br><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/move1.gif"></CENTER><br><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "arial">This new move will be Move 3, which starts
after Move 2 ends on measure 32. Move 3 imports ranks from
Move 2.</FONT></CENTER><br><br>
Ranks can be imported into a move from a previously created either at creation or once a move has been created. <br><br>
After a move has been created, the length and position of a move
can be edited through the split, merge, and shift options in the move
menu. <br><br>
Thumbnails of each move appear on the right under Sets/Moves, clicking on any
thumbnail displays that move on the main grid. A bar of the length of the
move appears on the move progress bar as well. Once a move has been created,
ranks can be drawn.<br><br>
<H3>Adding Text to Move</H3>
There are two options to add text to a move. The Set Text option under the
move menu adds text that will be printed next to the list of ranks and
commands when the move is turned into a PDF. Selecting this option again
allows editing of previously entered text. The Set Text Overwrite will overwrite
any other text in the PDF page for this move, including rank and command
information. The Set Text option can replace text entered with this option
as well.
<br><br>
<A HREF = "#top">top</A>
<A NAME = "draw"></A>
<H2 ALIGN = CENTER>Drawing Sets</H2>
Ranks are the representation of lines of Cornell Marching Band members. In
RankPanda, they are lines or curves with two distinct endpoints. The first
endpoint drawn is endpoint 0, and it is distinguished by an arrow.
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/draw1.gif"></CENTER><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "arial">Here is the grid that represents the football
field, the rank is blue as it is being drawn.</FONT></CENTER>
<H3>Snap to Grid</H3>
The grid lines on the drawing surface appear every fourth step on the
football field. The bottom of the grid is considered the front of the
football field, which the band members usually face.
<H3>Basic Ranks</H3>
Ranks are drawn by holding the Ctrl button on the key board while clicking and
dragging with the left mouse button. They initially appear as straight
lines, and the endpoints are automatically created on the nearest 1 step.
Left-clickiing and dragging a rank by its middle will move the whole rank
while preserving its orientation and size, while left-clicking and dragging
an endpoint will adjust that endpoint of the rank.<br><br>
Clicking on a rank with the left mouse button selects it. Holding the shift
key allows multiple ranks to be selected. Selected ranks appear <FONT COLOR
= "FF0000">red</FONT>.
Selected ranks can be deleted with the delete button <IMG SRC =
"icons/deleteicon.png">.<br><br>
If a rank that has a command list is selected, another rank appears in <FONT
COLOR = "7F7F00">gold</FONT>, representing the calculated position of
the rank based on the length of its command list and the number of counts in
the previous move. For details, see the <A HREF = "#addc">commands</A>
section. The Snap End Location button on the toolbar automatically puts
the rank in the position of the calculated rank.<br><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/draw2.gif"></CENTER><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "arial">Rank a is selected, thus it appears red and
has a "ghost" rank.</FONT></CENTER>
<H3>Curving Ranks</H3>
Using the right mouse button to click endpoint 0 (the one with the arrow)
creates a spline point halfway between the two endpoints. Right-clicking any
point (end or spline point) except endpoint 1 creates a spline point between
it and the next point on the rank. Left-clicking and dragging the spline
points causes the rank to become a curve that passes through each spline
point.<br><br>
Selecting a splined rank and clicking the Zigzag Spline button <IMG SRC =
"icons/zigzagicon.png"> causes the rank to connect
the spline points with straight line segments, while clicking the Curved
Spline button <IMG SRC = "icons/curveicon.png"> causes the rank to curve through the points.
<br><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/draw3.gif"></CENTER><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "arial">Rank a is a curved rank, while rank b is
zigzagged. Both have been selected</FONT></CENTER><br><br>
To delete a spline point, hold Shift and right-click the spline point.
<H3>Naming Ranks</H3>
Selecting one rank and pressing a letter, number, or symbol key names that
rank. Pressing Shift and another key allows for capital letters or other
symbols.
<br><br>
There is also an option to enter a unicode symbol as the name of a rank.
This is done by selecting the rank and clicking the Unicode button. A pop-up
opens, allowing either a unicode character a 4 digit unicode value to be
entered.<br><br>
Once a rank is named, it is associated with the rank with the same name in
the previous move, if such a rank exists. The name of a rank can be changed
by selecting it and entering a new character or unicode character.
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/draw4.gif"></CENTER><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "arial">Entering a unicode smiley as a rank name.</FONT></CENTER><br><br>
<H3>Importing Ranks</H3>
The import option of the move menu imports the names and positions of the
ranks from a previous move. Importing ranks into a move clears any ranks
that may exist in a move, so this should only be done in blank moves.
<br><br>
<A HREF = "#top">top</A>
<A NAME = "addc"></A>
<H2 ALIGN = CENTER>Adding Commands</H2>
The command list of a rank is the list of commands that gets the rank from
its position in the previous move to its position in the current move. Each
command consists of the movement and the number of counts the movement is
sustained.
<br><br>
To add any commands to a rank, the rank must be named, and the name must be
that of a rank
that exists in the previous move. This is the move that ends on the measure
before the measure on which the current move starts. A command list can
exceed the number of counts in a move, but commands exceeding the length of
the move cannot be performed, and an <FONT COLOR = "7F7F00">gold</FONT>
rank is displayed as if those commands did not exist. If a selected rank
overlaps its "ghost", the entire command list of the rank can be executed
within the move. The Snap End Location button on the toolbar moves
the rank to its calculated position, and the Snap Begin Location
moves the rank in the previous move to a position where the
calculated rank can reach the current position of the rank. This
location is a position on the command list of the rank in the current
position that is close enough that the commands between them can be
completed during the move. This feature is useful for making moves
starting from the end of the song and going to the beginning.<br><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/commands2.gif"></CENTER><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "ARIAL">Here the command list of rank b is displayed,
note that it is too long to be performed in 64 counts.</FONT></CENTER>
<H3>Auto-Generated Commands</H3>
Once a rank is drawn and named in a move that is adjacent to a previous
move, RankPanda can automatically generate a command list for that rank. The
rank must have existed in the previous move. RankPanda automatically
re-generates the command list whenever the rank is moved.
<br><br>
The auto-generated command list attempts to move the rank from the previous
position to the current as directly as possible with the curve/flatten,
turn, and slide commands. The autogenerator has no regard for whether these
movements would cause the rank to collide with others, or whether they would
look appealing. If the move has more counts than the movements of the
generated command list, the end of the list is padded with mark time.
<br>
The auto-generated commands always appear in the same order.<br>
1) The rank is flattened, if it was curved previously.<br>
2) The rank is expanded or contracted to a standard length of 16, by
whichever endpoint that brings the middle of the rank closer to where it
should be.<br>
3) The rank is turned into the correct orientation, using the turn that
would bring the middle of the rank nearest to its final position.<br>
4) The rank is moved horizontally.<br>
5) The rank is moved vertically.<br>
6) The rank is expanded or condensed to its final length.<br>
7) The rank is curved, if necessary.<br>
<br>
Some of these steps may be skipped, if it is possible. The flatten step for
curves is skipped if the rank appears with the same curvature in the current
move as with the previous move. <br><br>
The autogenerated commands may suffer from rounding errors when generating
between rank positions that differ greatly. For this and other limitations
described above, it is best not to overly rely on the autogeneration for
designing command lists. The autogenerator is a useful tool nonetheless.
<H3>Editing a Command List</H3>
To edit the command list of a rank, it must first be locked. Selecting a
rank and clicking the lock button <IMG SRC = "icons/holdicon.png"> on
the left toolbar locks a rank, and "*"
appears next to the name of the rank to indicate that it is locked.
<br><br>
To add a command, select the button matching the command and enter the
number of counts it should be performed. Some commands have additional
requirements. Once all the required information is entered, add the command.
A new command is added either to the bottom of the command list or above a
selected command in the command list.
<br><br>
A command in the list can be selected with a click of the left mouse button.
Selecting a command causes two more ranks to appear on the grid. The <FONT
COLOR = "00FF00">green</FONT> rank represents the position of the rank
before the command is performed, and the <FONT COLOR="FF00FF">pink</FONT>
rank shows the position of the rank after that command is performed.
This provides a quick visual of how the rank will move.<br><br>
Once a command is selected, the up and down arrow buttons move it up and
down the list.<br>
The rename button allows command names such as RightSlide and EXP to be
renamed, a feature that may be useful for printing. The counts of renamed
commands remain unchanged. <br> The split button
splits a command into two, opening a pop-up where the count the split should
occur can be entered. For example, splitting a LeftSlide 10 at count 2
results in a LeftSlide 2 and a LeftSlide 8.<br> The delete button deletes a
selected command from the list, after a confirmation prompt.
<br><br>
It is possible to perform the same action on the command lists of multiple
ranks at once, but this only adds the command to the end of the command
list of the selected ranks. To do this, simply select more than one rank
with the Shift key, then lock with * and proceed normally.
<H3>Simple Commands</H3>
Simple commands consist of the Forward March (FM), Backward March (BM),
Right Slide (RS), Left Slide (LS), Halt (Hlt), Flatten (Flt), and Mark Time
(MT). These commands only require the length field to
be filled, and will proceed for that number of counts. These commands all
preserve the length and orientation of a rank. Forward March moves the rank
down the screen, Backward March moves the rank up the screen. Right and left
are in relation to the band members, who face the front of the field from
the back, that is, the bottom of the grid from the top. Thus, a Right Slide
causes the rank to appear left of its previous position on the screen, and a
Left Slide causes a rank to appear right of its previous position. Halt and
Mark Time meane the rank performs no action for a number of counts. Flatten
is actually a special instance of a DTP command, where a curved or zigzag
rank becomes a straight line between the endpoints.
<H3>Expand and Condense</H3>
The Expand and Condense commands change the length of a rank, preserving
orientation. Exp and Cond expand and condense the rank by moving an
endpoint that is specified in the pop-up. Expand and Condense change the
length of the rank by 1 step/count by default.<br><br>
Note that these commands do not change the positions of any spline points
that may exist on the rank, which can distort curved ranks.
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/commands3.gif"></CENTER><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "arial">The pop-up wizard for condense.</FONT></CENTER>
<H3>DTPs</H3>
The DTP is the Direct to Point command, in which a rank moves directly to
another position.
Like other commands, the DTP requires the length field to be filled. When
the DTP button is clicked, a pop-up appears with a drawing surface. This
drawing surface features a grid like the original and extra two copies of the
rank. The <FONT COLOR="00FF00">green</FONT> rank appears as the rank does
before the DTP is started. The <FONT COLOR = "FF00FF">pink</FONT> rank is
adjustable and should be moved to where the DTP will end. Moving the <FONT
COLOR = "FF00FF">pink</FONT> rank works in exactly the same way as
moving a rank on the main grid, except deletetion. The rank can be moved,
the endpoints are adjustable, spline points can be added or removed, and the
rank can be curved or flattened.<br><br>
Warning: the DTP allows for arbitrarily large movements withing the
specified number of counts. Required step sizes may be too large to be
feasible.
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/commands4.gif"></CENTER><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "arial">The window for entering DTP commands.</FONT></CENTER>
<H3>Curve</H3>
The Curv command turns a rank that was a straight line into a splined rank
with the same endpoint positions,
that is either a curved rank or a zigzag rank. It requires a length of the
command and the final position the rank should be in. It is basically a
special instance of the DTP so the button works the same way.
<H3>FTAs</H3>
The FTA is the Follow the Asshole command, in which the rank follows one of
its endpoints through a path. The FTA command is similar to the DTP command
in that it opens a wizard displaying a grid similar to the main drawing
surface. The selected rank, its "ghost", and a green rank signifying the
position of the rank at the beginning of the FTA command appear on the grid.
The path the rank should take is determined by waypoints.
<H3>Gate and Pinwheel Turns</H3>
The Gate Turn and Pinwheel Turn commands open wizards that require the
direction of the turn (clockwise or counterclockwise) and the number of
steps the turn takes. 16 steps is a 90 degree turn, 8 steps is a 45 degree
turn for gate turns. Pinwheel turns are twice as fast, at 8 steps for a 90
degree turn.
<br><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/commands5.gif"></CENTER><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "arial">The pop-up wizard for gate turn.</FONT></CENTER>
<br><br>
<A HREF = "#top">top</A>
<A NAME = "editm"></A>
<H2 ALIGN = CENTER>Editing Moves</H2>
After a move is created, its original specifications are often found to be
inadequate. The Split, Merge, and Shift options in the Move menu can be
used to split or combine moves, lenghthen or shorten moves, and change the
position of a move within the song. The Delete menu option deletes a move
and all its content.
<H3>Splitting Moves</H3>
The Split option opens a pop-up prompt for the count at which to split the
currently displayed move.
The number entered here is the number of counts the move will contain after
the split operation. The minimum value is 1, the maximum is 1 less than the
length of the move. Another move that covers the remaining counts of the
move is created. If the move to be split has a name in the generic format "Move X",
where X is a number, the first split move retains the name and the second
gets the name "Move (X+1)". Subsequent moves are also automatically renamed
if they have the same format.<br><br>
Spliting a move also splits commands, where possible.
<H3>Merging Moves</H3>
The Merge option merges the currently selected move with the immediately
following move. The combined move takes the name of the current move and
contains all the ranks of both moves. The command lists of moves that appear
in both moves are combined, and the command lists of ranks that appear in
the current move but not the following are padded with Mark Time. Moves
following the merger get renamed if they do not have custom names.
<H3>Shifting the Position of Moves</H3>
The Shift option opens a pop-up requesting the number of counts the
currently selected move should be shifted. A positive number shifts the
move towards the end of the song, a negative number shifts the move towards
the beginning. Shifting does not work if an existing move is in the way of
the intended shift. <br><br>
Shift requires that the direction chosen be clear of other moves. If a move
that was contingent to another move gets shifted away, unlocked command
lists between them get lost.
<br><br>
<A HREF = "#top">top</A>
<A NAME = "timel"></A>
<H2 ALIGN = "CENTER">Animation and the Move Progress Bar</H2>
<H3>Animation</H3>
RankPanda can animate a drill and play a music file along with it. The
program can animate any arbitrary part of a drill, as long as there is
something there to animate. To animate a portion of the song, waypoints
must be set surrounding it. This is done by clicking the Add Waypoint <IMG
SRC = "icons/addwaypointicon.png">
button, which requests the measure it should be set in, and the time during
the animation that it should be reached. The waypoints then can be used to
determine how long moves should last, in terms of real time. Waypoints can
be removed with the Remove Waypoint button <IMG SRC =
"icons/removewaypointicon.png">, which asks for the measure to
remove the waypoint from. Waypoints are displayed as <FONT COLOR =
"blue">blue</FONT> triangles below the move progress bar. The green play
button <IMG SRC ="icons/playicon.png"> starts the animation at a
specified count, which can be any count that occurs between two waypoints.
The red stop button <IMG SRC = "icons/stopicon.png">
stops an animation that is currently playing.<br><br>
Adding a waypoint requires a measure in which the waypoint will be added,
and the time in the song that this waypoint will be reached. Removing a
waypoint requires only the measure. Hovering the mouse cursor over
a waypoint on the move progress bar reveals its position within the
song.<br><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/anim2.gif"></CENTER><br><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "ARIAL">This is the move progress bar during
animation, the green triangle is the current progress of
the animation. The actual animation of the ranks appears on
the drawing surface. </FONT></CENTER>
<H3>The Move Progress Bar</H3>
The Move Progress Bar appears below the drawing surface and provides a
visual connection between the written drill and the song. It also provides
another interface for selecting and adding moves. The Bar consists of
two halves, the top which displays the moves, and the bottom displays the
name of the move, count and measure when the mouse hovers over part of the
progress bar. The top of the move progress bar displays moves as yellow and
aqua bars, whose lengths are proportional to the number of counts they last
in the song. Empty counts (i.e. counts where there is no move) between
moves appear as red bars. Clicking on a move bar selects that move as the
active move and highlights the bar, and clicking on a gap opens the new move wizard with the
start and end measures of the gap filled in automatically. <br><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/anim1.gif"></CENTER><br><br>
<CENTER><FONT FACE = "ARIAL">Here Move with a name is the selected move,
but the mouse cursor is hovering over count 656, which is in
Move 2. The bar is a gap between moves, but the empty
counts between the last move and the end of the song has no
bar.</FONT></CENTER>
<br>
Waypoints appear as small <FONT COLOR = "BLUE">blue</FONT> triangles under
the position of the appropriate count on the bar.
<br><br>
<A HREF = "#top">top</A>
<A NAME = "anim"></A>
<H2 ALIGN = CENTER>Export Song to PDF</H2>
<H3>Exporting to PDF</H3>
The Export to PDF option under the file menu creates a PDF file with a page
for each move of the song, ready for printing and sharing. Each page
consists of a picture of the set on the grid, labeled by the song name,
measures, number of counts of the move, and any text that may be
associated with the move. The ranks and their
command lists appear below.<br><br>
The pop-up for Export to PDF has options to format the pages. For each
move, the # of columns option specifies the number of columns used to
display the ranks and command lists. The default is 3, and there is a
minimum of 1 column and a maximum of 10 columns. Each rank and its
command list is added to a different column if possible, or to the column
with the fewest ranks, starting from the first column. The text of
each column wraps within the column. The font of all the text in the
PDF can also be specified. <br><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/export1.gif"></Center><br><CENTER><FONT
FACE = "ARIAL">For this song, each move will display ranks
in two columns.</FONT></CENTER><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/export2.gif"></Center><br><CENTER><FONT
FACE = "ARIAL">This is one of the moves created by entering
the settings above, in this case the song name is "Debug".</FONT></CENTER>
<H3>Exporting Individual Ranks</H3>
The Export Individual Ranks option on the file menu also produces a PDF
document. This time it is organized by ranks instead of moves. Every rank
that appears in each move of the song appears in the document, with its
commands for each move listed. <br><br>
<CENTER><IMG SRC = "HelpScreens/export3.gif"></Center><br><CENTER><FONT
FACE = "ARIAL">This song "Debug" has three ranks and two
moves. Three columns were chosen.</FONT></CENTER><br><br>
The pop-up
for this option asks for the font size and number of columns, similar to the
Export to PDF option described above.
<br><br>
<A HREF = "#top">top</A>
<A NAME = "coml"></A>
<H2 ALIGN = CENTER>RankPanda Program Commands Quick Reference</H2>
<H3>List of Commands</H3>
<TABLE BORDER="1">
<TR>
<TH>Command</TH>
<TH>Command Name</TH>
<TH>Description</TH>
<TH>Requirements</TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>MT</TD>
<TD>Mark Time</TD>
<TD>March in place</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts)</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Hlt</TD>
<TD>Halt</TD>
<TD>No Action</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts)</TD>
<TR>
<TD>FM</TD>
<TD>Forward March</TD>
<TD>Move forward (down screen)</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts)</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>BM</TD>
<TD>Backward March</TD>
<TD>Move back (up screen)</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts)</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>RS</TD>
<TD>Right Slide</TD>
<TD>Move right (left screen)</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts)</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>LS</TD>
<TD>Left Slide</TD>
<TD>Move left (right screen)</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts)</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Flt</TD>
<TD>Flatten Rank</TD>
<TD>Make curved rank into a straight line</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts)</TD>
<TR>
<TD>GT</TD>
<TD>Gate Turn</TD>
<TD>Pivot about endpoint</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts), Non-Pivot Endpoint, Direction</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>PW</TD>
<TD>Pinwheel Turn</TD>
<TD>Turn around midpoint</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts), Direction</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Exp</TD>
<TD>Expand Rank</TD>
<TD>Lengthen rank by moving an endpoint</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts), Endpoint to move</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Exp1</TD>
<TD>Expand Endpoint 1</TD>
<TD>Lengthen rank by moving endpoint 1</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts)</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Cond</TD>
<TD>Condense rank</TD>
<TD>Shorten rank by moving an endpoint</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts), Endpoint to move</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>DTP</TD>
<TD>Direct to Point</TD>
<TD>Move rank directly to any position</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts), Final Position</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>FTA</TD>
<TD>Follow the Asshole</TD>
<TD>Rest of rank follows an endpoint through arbitrary path</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts), Waypoints,
Curved/Straight Path</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Curv</TD>
<TD>Curve Rank</TD>
<TD>Change rank from straight line into a curve</TD>
<TD>Length (number of counts), Final Position</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<H3>Keyboard and Mouse Combinations</H3>
<TABLE BORDER="1">
<TR>
<TH>Key</TH>
<TH>Mouse Button</TH>
<TH>Action</TH>
<TH>Requirements</TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Ctrl</TD>
<TD>Left (click and drag)</TD>
<TD>Draw rank</TD>
<TD>Within a move</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Shift</TD>
<TD>Left (click rank)</TD>
<TD>Select each rank clicked</TD>
<TD>A rank exists</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Shift</TD>
<TD>Right (click spline point)</TD>
<TD>Delete spline point</TD>
<TD>A spline point exists</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Any keyboard character</TD>
<TD>None</TD>
<TD>Name selected rank</TD>
<TD>None</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>None</TD>
<TD>Right (click endpoint 0 or spline point)</TD>
<TD>Add spline point between this and next point</TD>
<TD>None</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<H3>Toolbar Buttons</H3>
<TABLE BORDER = "1">
<TR>
<TH>Icon</TH>
<TH>Name</TH>
<TH>Function</TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/curveicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Curve Spline</TD>
<TD>The selected rank curves through its spline points</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/drawicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Draw Rank</TD>
<TD>Draw rank by clicking and dragging with left mouse button</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/deleteicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Delete Rank</TD>
<TD>Delete selected rank</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/displayicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Display Status at Count</TD>
<TD>Displays the move at specified count</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/holdicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Hold Rank</TD>
<TD>Lock command list of selected rank</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/moveicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Move rank</TD>
<TD>Click on rank and drag to a new position</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/playicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Play animation</TD>
<TD>Play animation after adding waypoints</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/stopicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Stop animation</TD>
<TD>Stops playing an animation</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/addwaypointicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Add Waypoint</TD>
<TD>Add waypoint for animation</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/removewaypointicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Remove Waypoint</TD>
<TD>Remove animation waypoint</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/zigzagicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Straight Spline</TD>
<TD>The rank runs straight through spline points</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/snaptoendicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Snap to End Location </TD>
<TD>Snaps the selected rank to its calculated position</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/snaptobeginicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Snap to Begin Location</TD>
<TD>Snaps the version of the selected rank in the previous move to
a location closer to the location of the selected rank</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><IMG SRC = "icons/switchlabelicon.png"></TD>
<TD>Switch Label</TD>
<TD>Displays the name of selected rank on other side</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>N/A</TD>
<TD>Unicode</TD>
<TD>Name selected rank with a unicode character</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<br><br>
<A HREF = "#top">top</A>
<A NAME = "faq"></A>
<H2 ALIGN = CENTER> Frequently Asked Questions</H2>
<B>Q:</B> Why can't I edit the command list?</B><br>
<B>A: Make sure the rank(s) you have selected and are trying to add
commands to are locked.<br><br></B>
<B>Q:</B> Why aren't any commands appearing?<br>
<B>A:</B> There are a few reasons this could happen. <br>
1) There may a gap between this move and the previous<br>
2) The rank may not share a name with a rank in the previous move<br>
3) You might want to try de-selecting and re-selecting the rank.<br><br>
<B>Q:</B> What is the unicode value for a hammer and sickle?<br>
<B>A:</B> 9773<br><br>
<B>Q:</B> I have another question and I need to talk to someone!<br>
<B>A:</B> You can contact the RankPanda dev team at:<br>
Adam Sorrin - [email protected]<br>
Lauren Dicristofaro - [email protected]<br>
Mark Broomfield - [email protected]<br>
Norris Xu - [email protected]<br>
Sally Tao - [email protected]<br>
<A HREF = "#top">top</A>
</Body>
<P>