Application Readme for Hal 

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Hal should work well with the vast majority of Windows 95 and
Windows NT products.  Below are brief notes on how to customize some
applications so they work better with Hal.


Corel Quattro Pro 6

Doing the following will ensure that Hal runs optimally with
Quattro Pro 6:

1. Select "Spreadsheet" display:
   Enter Quattro Pro's "View" menu by pressing ALT+V and select
   the option "Spreadsheet" by pressing S.

2. Turn off Quattro Pro's toolbars as they just contain buttons that are
   shortcuts to features that are already in Quattro Pro's menu system.
   These buttons are inaccessible from the keyboard without going into
   Navigation mode. Also, some of the items on the toolbars sometimes
   draw the focus away from the main spreadsheet window.

   Enter Quattro Pro's "View" menu by pressing ALT+V and select
   the option "Display" by pressing D.
   Deselect the following features:

   a) "Show Toolbar" by pressing T.
   b) "Show Property Band" by pressing Y.
   c) "Show Status Line" by pressing U.
   d) "Show Input Line" by pressing S.
   e) "Show Scroll Indicators" by pressing C.
   f) "Show Balloon Help" by pressing W.

   In the "Notebook Options" group deselect:

   a) "Vertical Scroll Bar" by pressing V.
   b) Horizontal Scroll Bar" by pressing Z.
   c) "Paper Tabs" by pressing P.

   TAB to the "Clock Display" group and then press N for "None".

   TAB to the "Objects" group and then press E for "Hide".

Note: Some of the above features may already be deselected in the
"Display" settings by default. The features should remain
deselected.  Pressing the appropriate letter will automatically
select/deselect the feature and so it's important to ensure the
settings are correct.

Tips on using Quattro Pro with Hal

1.  To adjust the width of a column to prevent data "overlapping", move
to the cell containing the longest data entry and follow these steps:

a) Go into the "Active Block" dialog by pressing F12.
b) Go into Hal's Navigation Mode and locate the option
   "Column Width".
c) Select "Column Width" by pressing ENTER.
d) Move into the "Options" group by pressing TAB and select "Auto Width"
   by pressing A.
e) Press ENTER to make this change.

2.  To have Quattro Pro present the formulae in cells rather than the
    sum of the formulae follow these steps:

a) Go into the "Active Block" dialog by pressing F12.
b) Go into Hal's Navigation Mode and locate the option
   "Numeric Format".
c) Select "Numeric Format" by pressing ENTER.
d) Select "Text" and press ENTER.

Note: If you wish to adjust all column widths or cell formats at one time
go to "Select All" in the "Edit" menu by pressing ALT+E then A.

Useful keystrokes:

Function                                           Key press
Go to a specific cell location
using Quattro's "Go to..." facility                F5, or ALT+E, G
Edit a cell formula                                F2
Undo last action/command                           CONTROL+Z


Lotus 1-2-3 r5

Hal works reasonably well with Lotus 1-2-3 r5.  Doing the following
will improve Hal's performance when used in conjunction with
Lotus 1-2-3 r5:

1. Turn off Lotus 1-2-3's toolbars as they just contain buttons that are
   shortcuts to features that are in the menu system.  These
   buttons are inaccessible from the keyboard without going into
   Navigation mode.  Also, some of the items on the toolbars sometimes
   draw the focus away from the main spreadsheet window.

   To turn off these features:

a) Enter Lotus 1-2-3's "View" menu by pressing ALT+V and select the
   option "Set View Preferences" by pressing P.
b) Deselect the following features:

* "Worksheet tabs", by pressing T.
* "Scroll bars", by pressing S.
* "Chart, drawings & pictures", by pressing C.
* "Smart icons", by pressing I.
* "Edit line", by pressing E.
* "Status bar", by pressing B.

c) Set these changes to be the default settings by
   pressing M and then ENTER.
d) TAB to the "OK" button and then press ENTER to confirm these changes.

Note: Some of the above features may already be deselected in the "Set
View Preferences" settings by default. The features should remain
deselected. Pressing the appropriate letter will automatically
select/deselect the feature and so it's important to ensure the settings
are correct.

2. If you are familiar with Lotus 1-2-3, you may benefit from the
   selection of the following options within the "User Options"
   property sheet located in the "Tools" menu:

a) To select "Skip welcome dialog box":

* Enter Lotus 1-2-3's "Tools" menu by pressing ALT+T and select the
  option "User Options" by pressing O.
* Select "Skip welcome dialog box", by pressing K.

b) To ensure that you go directly to a blank worksheet when selecting
   "New File":

* Go into "User Options" again by pressing ALT+T, then O.
* Select "Skip new file dialog box" by pressing P.

Tips on using Lotus 1-2-3 r5 with Hal

1. Repeat the process but deselect "Formulas" if you wish to revert back
   to the option where the sum of the formula is presented in the cell
   rather than the formula itself.

2. To adjust the width of a column to prevent data "overlapping", move
   to the cell containing the longest data entry and follow these steps:

a) Enter Lotus 1-2-3's "Style" menu by pressing ALT+S and select the
   option "Column Width" by pressing C.
b) Select the option "Fit widest cell" by pressing ALT+F.
c) Initiate the change by pressing ENTER.

Useful keys:

Function                                           Key press
Go to a specific cell location
using 1-2-3's "Go to..." facility                  F5, or ALT+E, G
Edit a cell formula                                F2
Undo last action/command                           CONTROL+Z


Lotus Word Pro 97

We do not recommend using Hal with Lotus Word Pro 97 as many Word
Pro dialog boxes contain owner-drawn controls.


Microsoft Access 2.0

Hal works well with constructing databases and also with
pre-constructed databases' front end.  However, it does not work
too well whilst browsing tables.


Microsoft Encarta 97

Microsoft Encarta 97's user-interface is completely full of owner-drawn
controls including the menu system.  However, it is accessible to some
extent using Hal's Navigation mode.


Microsoft Excel 4.0, 5.0 & 7.0

Doing the following will ensure that Hal runs optimally with
Microsoft Excel:

1. Turn off Excel's toolbar as it just contains buttons that are
   shortcuts to features that are in the menu system.  These buttons are
   inaccessible from the keyboard without going into Navigation mode.

   To turn off Excel's toolbar:

a) Enter Excel's "View" menu by pressing ALT+V and select the option
   "Toolbar" by pressing T.
b) In the "Toolbar" list-box deselect all the toolbar's that are
   currently selected. To do this move down the list using the CURSOR
   DOWN key and press SPACEBAR to deselect each of the selected toolbars.
c) Press TAB until you reach the "OK" button and then press ENTER to
   implement the change

2. Turn off Excel's status bar as it just contains unimportant text that
   is read out by Hal every time it's updated.  The removal of
   Excel's status bar means that the application's focus is always on
   the more important data on the worksheet.

   To turn off Excel's status bar
   enter the "View" menu by pressing ALT+V and deselect the option
   "Status Bar" by pressing S.

3. Turn off Excel's formula bar as it draws Hal's focus away from
   the current worksheet each time the formula bar is updated, i.e. each
   time you change cell position, making Hal unnecessarily repeat
   data twice.

   To turn off Excel's formula bar
   enter the "View" menu by pressing ALT+V and deselect the option
   "Formula Bar" by pressing F.

Tips on using Excel with Hal

1.  To have Excel present the formulae in cells rather than the sum of the
    formulae select the check box "Formulas" by doing the following:

a) Enter Excel's "Tools" menu by pressing ALT+T and select the option
   "Options" by pressing O.
b) From the View property sheet, press TAB until you reach the "Window
   Options" group and then select the "Formulas" check box.
c) Press ENTER to accept these changes.

Repeat the process but deselect "Formulas" if you wish to revert
to the option where the sum of the formula is presented in the cell rather
than the formula itself.

2.  To adjust the width of a column to prevent data "overlapping", move to the
   cell containing the longest data entry and follow these steps:

a) Enter Excel's "Format" menu by pressing ALT+O and select the option
   "Column" by pressing C.
b) Select "AutoFit Selection" by pressing A

Useful keys:

Function                                           Key press
Go to a specific cell location
using Excel's "Go to..." facility                  CONTROL+G
Cell format features                               CONTROL+1
Undo last action/command                           CONTROL+Z
Repeat last command/action                         CONTROL+Y


Microsoft Excel 97

Doing the following will ensure that Hal runs optimally with Microsoft
Excel 97:

1.  Turn off Excel's vertical scroll bar.

    To turn off Excel's vertical scroll bar, first enter the "Tools" menu by
    pressing ALT+T and then select the option "Options" by pressing O.
    If you are not in the "View" property sheet then press CONTROL+TAB until
    you are.  Finally, press ALT+V to deselect the "Vertical scroll bar"
    check box.


Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0

Hal works well with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0, but doing the
following will ensure that it runs optimally:

1. Turn off Explorer's toolbar as it just contains buttons that are
   shortcuts for items that are already in the menu system.  These
   buttons are inaccessible from the keyboard (without going into Hal's
   Navigation mode) and are announced every time you use the Hal speak
   key for reading the current window.

  To turn off Explorer's toolbar,
  enter Explorer's "View" menu using ALT+V and deselect the option
  "Toolbar" by pressing T.

2. Turn off Explorer's status bar as it just contains unimportant text that
   is read out by Hal every time it is updated.  Sometimes the updating
   of Explorer's status bar causes Hal to mute saying something of
   importance on the screen and read out the unimportant information on the
   status bar instead.

  To turn off Explorer's status bar,
   enter Explorer's "View" menu using ALT+V and deselect the option
  "Status Bar" by pressing B.

Turning off Explorer's toolbar and status bar also means that the
application's focus is always in the web page so you never need to press TAB
to move the focus to the web page.

3. In Hal's Control Panel set Hal to announce changes in text color by
   activating the "Color Change" check box in both the "Text Areas" and
   "Navigation Mode" property sheets.  This helps you locate hyperlinks and
   hot spots easily on a web page.  (Hyperlinks and hot spots are usually
   displayed in a different color.)

4. To display web pages more quickly you can configure Internet Explorer 3.0
   not to show pictures and videos.

  To do this:

a) Enter Explorer's "View" menu using ALT+V and select the option
   "Options" by pressing O.
b) De-select the check boxes "Show pictures" and "Show videos" in the
   group entitled "Multimedia".

Tips for using Internet Explorer 3.0 with Hal

In general the "accessible-ness" of a web page depends largely on the person
who designed it.  That is to say, as well as having text, the page can
contain bitmaps (pictures).  Sometimes these bitmaps can contain important
text (displayed in a highly stylized way) or contain a hotspot or hyperlink
to another web page.  There is no way a screen reader can read text that is
displayed as a bitmap (picture) without employing Optical Character
Recognition (OCR) technology.
Here are some tips that make Internet Explorer easy to use with Hal:

1. Hal should automatically read out the web page as it appears on the
   screen.  Since Internet Explorer doesn't place a cursor in the web page the
   best way of examining a web page in detail is to go into Hal's Navigation
   mode and browse the page that way.  Remember that you can activate hyperlinks
   from Navigation mode by pressing ENTER.

2. If the web page is greater than one screenful you can use the following
   keys from Live mode to navigate the web page:

Function                                                Keypress
Go to next page                                         SHIFT+BACKSPACE
Go to previous page                                     BACKSPACE
Display a shortcut menu for a hyperlink                 SHIFT+F10
Move between frames                                     SHIFT+CONTROL+TAB
Scroll toward the beginning of a page                   UP ARROW
Scroll toward the end of a page                         DOWN ARROW
Scroll toward the beginning of a page in larger pages   PAGE UP
Scroll toward the end of a page in larger increments    PAGE DOWN
Move to the beginning of a page                         HOME
Move to the end of a page                               END

3. With Internet Explorer 3.0 you can explore a web page from the keyboard
   by pressing TAB and SHIFT+TAB to navigate forward and backward between
   just the hyperlinks and hot spots.

Working with Internet Explorer 3.0

You may find the following keyboard shortcuts of use when using Internet
Explorer:

Function                                                Keypress
Refresh the current page                                F5
Stop downloading a page                                 ESC
Go to a new location                                    CONTROL+O
Open a new window                                       CONTROL+N
Save the current page                                   CONTROL+S
Print the current page or active frame                  CONTROL+P
Activate a selected hyperlink                           ENTER


Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0

Hal works well with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, but doing the
following will ensure that it runs optimally:

1.  Turn off Internet Explorer's Status Bar.

    This can be done by entering Internet Explorer's View menu using ALT+V
    and then deselecting the Status Bar option by pressing S.

Doing this will ensure that the application's focus will be in the window
containing the web page by default.

2.  Alter the following options in the Advanced property sheet of Internet
    Explorer 4's Properties, as they will enable Internet Explorer 4 to
    work better with screen readers in general:

    Turn on "Move system caret with focus/selection changes" in the
    Accessibility branch.
    Turn on "Always expand alt text for images" in the Accessibility branch.
    Turn off "Use AutoComplete" in the Browsing branch.  This will stop
    Internet Explorer from trying to guess what URL you are typing in the
    Address Bar and try to complete it automatically for you.  This can be
    very confusing, as this feature keeps altering the name of the URL as
    you're typing.

3.  Turn off the Links option in the Toolbars sub-menu of Explorer's View
    menu.  This is because in Explorer 4.0 you can TAB from object to
    object and removing Links means there's once less TAB to go through to
    put the focus back onto the web page again.


Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0

Hal works well with Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0, but doing the following
will ensure that it runs optimally:

1. Don't use "Full Screen" mode. 
   "Full Screen" mode makes the menu bar
   disappear and Hal may not read the menus out properly.  It also means that
   sometimes Hal doesn't recognize window boundaries correctly.

2. Turn off Visual C's toolbars as they just contain buttons that are
   shortcuts for items that are already in the menu system.  These
   buttons are inaccessible from the keyboard.

  To turn off the toolbars:

a) Enter Visual C's "View" menu using ALT+V and enter the "Toolbar"
   dialog by pressing T.
b) Deselect all of Visual C's toolbars by deselecting each of the associated
   check boxes one by one.  When you have finished deselecting the
  toolbars press ENTER.

3. Disable Visual C's "Docking Views" as these cause status windows to overlap
   the main window.

  To turn off "Docking Views":

a) Enter Visual C's "Tools" menu using ALT+T and enter the "Options"
   dialog by pressing O.
b) Press CONTROL+TAB until you get to the "Workspace" property
   sheet.
c) Deselect all of Visual C's "Docking Views" by deselecting each of the
   associated check boxes one by one.  When you have finished,
   press ENTER.

Microsoft Word 6.0 & 7.0

Hal works well with Microsoft Word 6.0 and 7.0, but doing the following
will ensure that it runs optimally:

1. Turn off the ruler as it just contains a graphical
   representation of a ruler which Hal reads out every time Word is started
   and is also announced every time you use the Hal speak key for reading
   the current window.

  To turn off the ruler,
  enter Word's "View" menu using ALT+V and deselect the option
  "Ruler" by pressing R.

Known problems with Word 6.0a:

If you enter Word 6.0a's Help menu and select "Contents", the help system
crashes with Hal.  This problem is due to a bug that exists in Word 6.0a.

Calculator

Hal does not work very well with the Windows Calculator.
However, Calculator is accessible from the keyboard. To get a list
of the keys to operate the calculator, look up "Keyboard equivalents" in the Calculator help.

To read the result of a calculation press Hal's Read Window key.

WordPad

Hal works well with WordPad, but doing the following will ensure that it
runs optimally:

1. Turn off WordPad's ruler as it just contains a graphical representation
   of a ruler which Hal reads out every time WordPad is started and is also
   announced every time you use the Hal speak key for reading the current
   window.

  To turn off the ruler,
  enter WordPad's "View" menu using ALT+V and deselect the option
  "Ruler" by pressing R.

2. Turn off WordPad's toolbar as it just contains buttons that are shortcuts
   for items that are already in the menu system.  These buttons are
   inaccessible from the keyboard.

  To turn off the toolbar,
  enter the "View" menu using ALT+V and deselect the option
  "Toolbar" by pressing T.

Microsoft Works 4.0

We recommend that you restrict the use of Hal to the word processor and
spreadsheet modules in MS Works 4.0.

Doing the following will ensure that the Microsoft Works word processor runs
optimally with Hal:

1. Turn off the ruler as it just contains a graphical representation of a ruler.
   From the "View" menu choose "Ruler".

Known problems

1. Works Wizards do not speak correctly as they contain owner-drawn controls.

2. When you enter the Works Tools Property Sheet of the Works Task Launcher
   for the first time, although the focus is on the Word Processor button, all
   incidental text is spoken.

3. The default address books are not usable with Hal unless you use
   Navigation Mode.  However, once you are familiar with the layout of a
   particular address book you should find that Hal speaks adequately.

Doing the following will ensure that Hal runs optimally with the spreadsheet
module of Microsoft Works v4.0:

1.  Turn off Works toolbar as it just contains buttons that are shortcuts to
    features that are already in Works menu system.  These buttons are
    inaccessible from the keyboard.
    Enter the "View" menu using ALT+V and deselect the option
    "Toolbar" by pressing T.

2.  Turn off Works Help box as on-line help is already available within Works
    and the help information available in the Help box is only accessible
    through Hal's Navigation Mode.

  To turn off Works' Help box,
  enter Work's "Help" menu using ALT+H and deselect the option "Hide Help" by
  pressing H.

3.  On re-running the Microsoft Works spreadsheet the "Toolbar" and "Help box"
    will return.  To permanently prevent these features running:

a) Enter the "Tools" menu using ALT+T and select the option "Options"
   by pressing O.
b) Go to the "View" dialog box by pressing V
c) Deselect the relevant "... on start up" check boxes by pressing TAB to
   move through the list and then pressing SPACEBAR to deselect the option.

Tips on using Works v4.0 spreadsheet with Hal

1.  An additional Hal speak key has been created to provide you with your
    current cell co-ordinates whilst in a spreadsheet.  The speak key is
    NUMERIC KEYPAD 3, or (using the alternate keys) F5.

2.  The PC's numeric keypad can be used for data entry by selecting the "Use
    function keys" check box in the General property sheet of Hal's Control
    Panel.  This releases the numeric keypad from being used for Hal's speak
    keys.

3.  To have Works present the formulas in cells rather than the sum of the
    formula select "Formulas" in the "View" menu by
    entering the "View" menu and selecting the option
    "Formulas" by pressing F.

Repeat the process to deselect "Formulas" if you wish to revert
to the option where the sum of the formula is presented in the cell rather
than the formula itself.

4.  To adjust the width of a column to prevent data "overlapping", move to the
    cell containing the longest data entry and follow these steps:

a) Enter the "Format" menu by pressing ALT+O.
b) Select the option "Column Width" by pressing W.
c) Select the "Best Fit" button by pressing ALT+B.

Useful keys

Function                                         Key press
Go to a specific cell location using the
"Go to..." facility                              CONTROL+G
Undo last command/action                         CONTROL+Z
Easy Calculator (formula creation wizard)        ALT+T, C

WordPerfect 7.0

We do not recommend the use of WordPerfect 7.0 with Hal at present.  The
main reason for this is that the spell checker is not fully accessible from
the keyboard.  You cannot access the "not found" option for the incorrectly
spelt word.

However, if you need to use WordPerfect 7.0, you can optimize its
performance with Hal by doing the following:

1. Turn off the Power Bar, Ruler and Status Bar:

a) Enter the "View" menu and select "Toolbars/Ruler"; a dialog box will
   appear allowing you to deselect the Power Bar, Ruler and Status Bar.

2. Only use TrueType or printer fonts.

3. You will also need To turn off the "Quick Tips" as these change the
   application's focus when they appear and can make the navigation of menus
   difficult.

  To turn off Quick Tips:

a) Enter the "Edit menu" by pressing ALT+E and enter the "Preferences"
   dialog box by pressing E.  This dialog box contains owner-drawn
   controls so it does not speak very well, so please follow these
   instructions carefully.
b) Press TAB once and then press ENTER to enter the "Environment
   Preferences" dialog box.
c) Press TAB until you reach the "Show Quick Tips" check box and then
   press SPACEBAR to unselect this option.
d) Press ENTER to accept the changes and return to the "Preferences"
   dialog box.
e) Finally press TAB until you reach the "Close" button and then press the
   SPACEBAR to return to WordPerfect's document window.


WordPerfect 8.0

Because WordPerfect 8.0 does not use standard Windows check boxes and
instead draws its own, the following tips will prove useful:

1.  When navigating around a WordPerfect 8.0 dialog box press Hal's
    mute key as you move from control to control.  This is because
    the way that WordPerfect draws its unselected check boxes causes
    Hal to "babble".
2.  Use Hal's read current focus key to read the current control in a 
    dialog box.  If Hal doesn't announce the control's type then you can
    assume that it's an unselected check box.


Outlook Express 5

Doing the following will ensure that Hal runs optimally with Outlook
Express 5:

1. Turn off Outlook Express 5's Layout options as they just display 
unnecessary data that clutter the screen reducing the information 
that can be shown.

   Enter Outlook Express 5's "View" menu by pressing ALT+V and select
   The option "Layout" by pressing L.
   Deselect the following features:

   a) "Contacts" by pressing T.
   b) "Folder Bar" by pressing F.
   c) "Folder List" by pressing D.
   d) "Outlook Bar" by pressing K.
   e) "Toolbar" by pressing O.
   f) "Views Bar" by pressing V.
   g) "Info Pane" by pressing N.
   h) "Show preview pane header" by pressing H.

   NOTE: We recommend "Status Bar" be selected as this contains useful 
information that can be accessed by Hal's speak status line key! 
Users may also wish to experiment with the location of the "Preview 
pane" to assess optimal position (i.e. below or beside messages) or 
users may wish to deselect this feature.

2. Turn off the following options within Outlook Express 5's Tools menu 
Options as they can detract from the current focus or prevent accurate 
speech output.

   Enter Outlook Express 5's "Tools" menu by pressing ALT+T and select
     "Options" by pressing O.     

   Make the following change in the "General" property sheet:

   a) Select "When starting, go direct to my Inbox folder" by pressing W.

   Make the following changes in the "Send" property sheet:

   a) Deselect "Automatically complete e-mail addresses when composing"
       by pressing U.
   b) Set the "Mail Sending Format" to "Plain Text" by pressing P.
   c) Set the "News Sending Format" to "Plain Text" by pressing X.

3. Turn off the following options in the "New Message" window as these 
options can detract from the current focus or prevent accurate speech 
output

In the "New Message" window enter the "View" menu by pressing ALT+V, 
Select "Toolbars" by pressing T. 

   a) Deselect "Standard Buttons" by pressing S.
   b) Deselect "Formatting Bar" by pressing F (N.B. this option will 
   be enabled only if "Rich Text (HTML)" is selected in the "Format" menu).

   These buttons are inaccessible from the keyboard without going into
   Navigation Mode. Also, some of the items on the toolbars sometimes
   draw the focus away from the main edit window.

Useful Outlook Express 5 keystrokes:

Function 			Key press
Go to folder                    CONTROL+Y
Compose new message             CONTROL+N
View next unread message        CONTROL+U
Send and receive all            CONTROL+M
Reply to sender	                CONTROL+R
Reply to all                    CONTROL+SHIFT+R
Forward message                 CONTROL+F
Select recipients               ALT+T, R
Send message                    ALT+S
Find message                    CONTROL+SHIFT+F
Open Address Book               CONTROL+SHIFT+B



Control IT (formerly known as Remotely possible)

Under Windows NT Control IT attempts to intercept graphics with 
it's own graphics interceptor, thus performing a similar function 
to the Dolphin Interceptor Driver (DID), Control IT uses the term 
"InstalledBase" in the same way the DID uses 
"OriginalInstalledDisplayDriver".

Thus the following must be adhered to -

1.  Hal and the associated Dolphin Interceptor Driver for Windows 
    NT must be installed prior to the installation of Control IT

and

2.  When removing Hal and the Dolphin Interceptor Driver the 
    user must first remove Control IT and it's graphics interceptor.



NetSupport Version 4.15

When installing Hal under Windows NT, the Dolphin Interceptor 
Driver will fail to install if done after the installation of 
Netsupport. Thus, Hal must be installed prior to the installation 
of NetSupport.



Microsoft Office 2000 suite

To optimize the performance of Hal speech with MS Office 2000
it is recommended that the following is done with all of the MS Office
2000 products -

1.  To stop automatic menu expansion when menu is left open, go to 
    "Tools" menus sub-menu    "Customize" and de-select "Show full
    menus after a short delay".

2.  Turn of the "Clipboard" toolbar, this is done by selecting the 
    "View" menu, then the "Toolbars" sub-menu and deselecting the
    "Clipboard" toolbar option.

END-OF-FILE. Last updated 20/SEPT/1999.
