Starting the Bilko software

If you have installed Bilko yourself on your own PC you can start the window by opening the Bilko shortcut on the Windows desktop ( figure (1K)) or the Start Menu figure (1K)); you may have to look in the 'Bilko' folder under 'Programs' to find the icon.

If your are working on a network your instructor will inform you where to find the shortcut.

Note: If you know that Bilko has been installed, but not where to find it, you could try looking for the shortcut using the Windows Search (or Find) program. (Choose 'All files and folders' as your search option, and 'Bilko 3' as part of the file name. You may wish to limit the size to files of less than 1KB to make sure you find only the shortcuts.)

The Bilko application window

Once the program is loaded the Bilko Application Window appears (see. figure (4K)). You can adjust the size of this window to suit the way you want to work by dragging on the edges with your mouse. You can also maximise the window to fill the computer screen by clicking on the maixmise icon:

The menu bar

The menu bar has three basic options File, View and Help. (When you start opening images and other files, the options on the menu bar will increase).

1. The File Menu (see figure (6K)). allows you to open new or existing files, set up print options, and exit the Bilko program. Later you will see that when you open images and other files, the File menu contains a number of other options.

2. The View menu (see figure (7K)). allows you to customise the Bilko applications window. These are the basic options. When you start opening images and other files, you will find that the options in the View menu increase

3. The Help menu allows you to access the Bilko help program, which we will look at more closely on the next page of the tutorial.

The tool bar

The tool bar contains a series of icons , which allow you carry out tasks such as opening, saving, copying and printing by clicking on these icons with your mouse. If you are familiar with Windows, you will notice that the Bilko tool bar works in the same way as in most other Windows applications. When no files are open, most of the options are not availalable - and the icons fade to gray. To see what an icon does, hold your mouse over it; the information will appear on the status bar (see figure (4K)).

There is one feature on the tool-bar, which we will look at in more detail later. This is Bilko Help. You can open Help by double clicking on the help icon:

The Bilko status bar

The status bar provides information on active files. In the following sections you will learn how to use the status bar with different file types. When no files are open, as now, the status bar only displays the reminder that you can accesss Bilko Help by pressing the F1 function key, and provides information about the function of icons on the tool bar, when you hold your mouse over them.