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Al Arabi Publisher (AP) for Windows95/NT
AP now has over 2000 installed sites, a mark of its success throughout the Arab World. AP for Windows 95/NT builds on previous versions of AP by adding many new Windows specific features and upgrading the already sophisticated Arabic language controls and capabilities built into the system. AP is a complete and sophisticated publishing solution. It includes features to aid in the production of long documents such as books as well as everything required to produce complicated forms, technical materials, daily newspapers and color magazines. The quality of the Arabic Founts, handling of ligatures and diacritical markings put it ahead of the competition.
New Features in AP for Windows 95/NT include:
What can AP do for me?
What do you need from your Desktop Publishing System? Do you require typesetting not only Latin alphabets but Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, Jawi, Assyrian and other non-Latin scripts? There are packages that attempt non-Latin Fonts so long as they are written from left to right, but Arabic and Hebrew are another matter. Not only does Arabic script read from right to left, but the shape of the characters must be contextualised according to its position in the word. Add to this, multiple levels of stacking diacritic markings, and there is only one DTP package that will fit your needs.
Al Arabi Publisher (AP) is The Bilingual Electronic Publishing System, providing both English and Arabic desktop publishing simultaneously (and other non-Latin fonts). It has of course, all the features you would expect of a Desktop Publishing package, such as Word-processing, page-layout, typographic control, and import of graphics. Screenshots of AP. You can choose between an Arabic and English User Interface.
Overview
New Features for Version 5
Full 32 Bit Implementation for Windows
The current release version of AP is a full 32 bit implementation under Windows 95 or Windows NT. It maintains all the features and functions of previous versions (DOS and Macintosh), with a Windows Interface that is easy to use, intuitive and customisable. As such it is able to use all the Windows features and any printer, graphics adaptor or other device that Windows supports.
New Graphical User Interface
This is a standard Windows style Interface built up of menus, dialogue boxes for detailed input, toolbars, the property sheet, the code editor and the macro edit bar.
The Toolbars
AP comes with a set of toolbars pre-defined for about 150 common actions. Toolbars can be personalised by choosing from different buttons, or designing your own button and assigning it a string of macro commands.
The Property sheet
The Property Sheet is your interface to the most powerful formatting features of AP quickly and easily with a click of the mouse. Properties are stored logically under a set of selection tabs and sub-tabs. The contents will be the properties of whatever object is selected at the time (e.g. document, graphic etc.).
The property sheet may be set to be permanently displayed, or activated and hidden as needed by the right mouse button.
When a particular property has been selected, its contents appear at the top of the dialog box, for you to change. Depending on its nature, you may be offered an on/off switch, or a list of choices. Some properties offer a further box to aid in selection, e.g. a color selection dialog.
The Code Editor Window
The Code Editor allows you direct access to the text stream and formatting codes. Formatting values and reference tags are shown in color and can be edited directly. It
now exists in its own Window so it can be hidden, resized and positioned as necessary.
Combined with the Macro Edit Bar, the experienced user will find many ways to create special effects and automate the production process using the code editor and macro system. No other DTP system allows this degree of flexibility and access to raw formatting power.
Summary of Features
Document Handling and Editing Features
AP is designed to handle any sort of DTP job, from a flyer to a book. It has standard
word-processing features such as cut and paste text, search and replace, undo and redo and spell checking. It has a strong set of page layout features including vertical justification of columns, column balancing, side notes, anchored graphics, underlay and overlay master pages, running headers, rotation of frames, etc. Equally as complete is the set of formatting variables which include drop capital and drop word paragraph styles, bullet styles, outline type, widow and orphan controls, paragraph breaks and keep with controls, line numbering and definable text flow order.
Typographical Controls
AP also has an array of typographical variables which when combined with the tracking and kerning built into the fonts provide superb output. These include variable character and word spacing, adjustable line justification, horizontal and vertical kerning, precise hyphenation control of multiple languages and complex ligature controls.
Graphic Tools
AP includes a complete set of object graphic tools from simple shape drawing tools to tools for converting text to graphics so it can be manipulated or creating stepped blends from one object shape to another. There are also tools for scaling, stretching and cropping raster graphics.
Document Formatting
Not to be missed out are the document controls including automatic creation of table of contents, index and footnotes and drag and drop pages in thumbnail view. Text and graphics can be imported to the document or linked to the document from an external file. three different autosave methods may be implemented to make sure your days work is not lost if the power goes off. A sophisticated printer control scripting language is also included to produce a professional standard of output.
Advanced Features
Needless to say, the hundreds of features can not all be named. In addition to the low level access to your document through the code editor and macro edit bar, other unique features which set AP apart from other software include the ability to search and replace formatting commands, to calibrate the size and aspect ratio of your screen image so that 1 cm equals 1 cm and a circle is a circle rather than an ellipse, to attach a formatting style to a frame, to save and run external macro files to handle repetitive or batch processes, to include in-line text and graphic tags, to group graphic objects and frames, and much more.
Feature List:
General Features
Full use of the Windows Interface, including:
Simple User Interface:
Window presentation: Multiple Windows
Windows can be:
Inherent document description language totally describes all levels and aspects of documents from a global document design to individual floating graphics in paragraphs of text. All text, graphic and page make-up tools are available in any window at any time.
Text Features
Text can be:
Paragraph features
Paragraphs can be styled in the following ways:
Page and Frame features
Pages can have single or multiple:
Pages can also have:
Frames can be:
Graphics features
Drawing tools include:
Graphic images can be imported from other systems including CAD files, and manipulated with the above tools, and can be cut, copied and pasted in the same document or between windows and documents.
Raster image features
Raster images can be:
Printing features
Printing can be:
Forms design features
Forms can be designed using:
Special Features
Graphical text can:
System Requirements
Hardware and software:
system applies to AP. While both versions are supplied as standard, the Windows NT installation is preferred for professional publishing.
AP is supplied with 23 Arabic character, 4 Latin character and 3 Pi professional quality typesetting fonts. Several hundred additional professional quality Latin character fonts are available.
For further information, please send e-mail to :info@gy.com