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READ THIS FIRST: Where I live, the public library offers Internet access and a printer, but does not grant access to ordinary programs such as a text editor or word processor. Sometimes patrons ask if they can use the computer to type a letter. Answer: No. But with Virtual Typewriter, the answer is now: Maybe yes.

To use: Go to the large white text box. Erase the initial message. Type into the box, just as if you were sending an E-mail (but do not use the Tab key).. However, Virtual Typewriter does not send your typing over the Internet. Instead, when you click PAGE VIEW, your typing is internally sent to you as a new pop-up window called PageView. Using the menu bar on this new window, you can adjust margins, remove the header and footer that normally prints with a web page, and preview the appearance. (You will get a reminder notice.) If you like what you see, it is printable. If you don't like it, you can close the PageView window and return to editing your document. It's that simple.

Use of Virtual Typewriter is at YOUR OWN RISK. If you are at a facility that charges for time or printing, you may have to pay even if your work is lost or unsatisfactory. There is no reimbursement. Be sure to use Print Preview.

Saving? You may be unable to save your result to a a disk. Even if you choose Save from the PageView window menu, your computer may save the program page (without your work). A better strategy is to highlight your work in the pop-up window, and save the selection as text only.

If you reload this web page, or go to another one, you may lose your work. If your work is of a confidential nature, you should clear the History and clear the Cache when you leave. If you don't know what that means, ask someone who does know. Return to top."

Virtual Typewriter is a single web page with a simple JavaScript program. It can be used off-line. Information is not sent anywhere. It does not circumvent security restrictions on the computer, or gain access to any files that are not accessible to all web pages. Author: Robert Allgeyer (Santa Cruz, CA USA), June 2001. Free public license. Enjoy.



MORE HELP: If your printout shows the Virtual Typewriter program box (the original web page) rather than your PageView document, it is probably because you used the menu bar on Virtual Typewriter. Be sure that when you are ready to print, you use the menu bar on the PageView window. Once you close the PageView window, you can restore it by clicking PAGE VIEW again.

If your PageView shows mysterious characters or strange effects, it may be that your typing accidentally contains a combination of punctuation characters that the computer interpreted as commands. The marks most likely to cause difficulty are the greater than (<) and less than (>) symbols, since these are used in HTML tags, such as the ones shown below.

Remember: Do not use the Tab key.

If saving to disk produces a copy of the program rather than a copy of your typing, it is most likely a "feature" of your browser or operating system. You are out of luck. But saving PageView in the form of "text only" might work.

Return to top.

Formatting: The default appearance of your finished document is intended to be similar to a typed page. You can change the appearance by using HTML tags, the way they are used by web page designers. When your typing is processed by the PAGE VIEW command, the tags are removed and interpreted. HTML tags come in pairs, one before and one after the typing to be formatted. It is easier to show you how this works than to explain it:

Effect
As typed by you
PageView or printed
Center <CENTER>Ice Cream</CENTER>

Ice Cream

Bold I like <B>Rocky Road.</B> I like Rocky Road.
Underline And <U>chocolate</U> too. And chocolate too.
Italic <I>Tutti Frutti,</I> yes! Tutti Frutti, yes!
Bigger Or <BIG>Vanilla</BIG>. Or Vanilla.
Smaller <SMALL>Mint</SMALL> is nice. Mint is nice.
Center,Bold <CENTER><B>and</B></CENTER>

and

Bold,Bigger <BIG><B>sprinkles</B></BIG> sprinkles
And so forth. Note that when more than one style is used, the tags are nested.

Changing the type face: The default font (type face) is Courier New. Your computer or printer may over-ride it, however. If you would like to use a different type face, you can do so as long as it is available on the computer that you are using. You can only see the result in PAGE VIEW.

Times New Roman is a common type face. The text that you are reading now is supposed to be shown in Times New Roman. If you would like to use it in your document, place tags before and after your typing, like this:

<FONT FACE="Times New Roman">Your typing goes here</FONT>

Remember to use Print Preview to see what you are actually going to get. Return to top.