Version: 1.1
Date: December 4, 2002
Users Manual
(c)2002 Stand Alone, Inc. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.3.1
1.3.2
1.4
1.4.1
1.4.2
1.5
1.5.1
1.5.2
1.5.3
1.6
2
3
3.1
3.1.1
3.1.2
3.2
3.2.1
3.2.2
4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.4.1
4.4.2
4.5
4.5.1
4.5.2
4.5.3
4.5.4
4.5.5
4.5.6
4.5.7
4.5.8
4.5.9
4.5.10
4.6
4.7
4.7.1
4.7.2
4.7.3
4.7.4
4.7.5
4.7.6
4.8
4.9
4.10
4.10.1
4.10.2
4.10.3
4.10.4
4.10.5
4.10.6
Floor Plan provides tools to create and modify drawingdiagrams on Palm Powered™ handhelds.
The archive includes the following files and folders:
File/Folder | Purpose |
Readme.txt | Explains how to register and order the software. |
Floor Plan.prc | Installs Floor Plan on your Palm Powered™ handheld. |
Mathlib.pdb | Installs additional software required to run Floor Plan. |
Order.html | Automatically establishes link with Standalone, Inc. website. Places Floor Plan in your shopping cart. (If this does not happen automatically, click the Click to order link to go to our website.) |
License.txt | Contains the software license agreement. Please read this before using the software. By installing, copying, or otherwise using this software, you agree to be bound by the terms of the license agreement. |
Manual | Contains the HTML version of this manual. The images subfolder contains the graphics for this manual. |
Palm OS version 3.3 is required. Visit
Software such as the Palm Desktop™ enables your Palm Powered handheld to receiveinstallation data from your desktop computer. Read the documentation thatcame with your Palm Powered handheld to ensure that the Palm Desktop or similarsoftware is properly installed.
Do the following steps to install Floor Plan using a Windows-compatibledesktop computer:
1. Download the Floor Plan installer (.exe file) from
2. Click the executable icon. The installation wizard opens on the screen.
3. Complete the steps specified by the installation wizard.
4. Perform a Hot Sync operation with your Palm Powered handheld. Floor Plan is automatically installed on your Palm Powered handheld.
Do the following steps to install Floor Plan using a Macintosh computer:
1. Download the Floor Plan file (.hqx file) from
2. Double click on the FloorPlan.prc and MathLib.pdb files
3. The install tool will open.
4. Perform a Hot Sync operation with your Palm Powered handheld. Floor Plan is automatically installed on your Palm Powered handheld.
Floor Plan is shareware, software that you can download and try for free.The time-limited demo version of Floor Plan includes all of the featuresavailable in the licensed version. After 30 days, the demo version will onlywork with a valid registration code. Registration includes free upgrades to anyfuture version of Floor Plan.
There are several ways to order your registration code:
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Have the following information ready before you register:
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Do the following to enter the registration code before the 30 day evaluationperiod has expired:
1. Open Floor Plan from the Applications menu. The start screen appears.
2. Select Options → Enter Registration Code
3. Tap the numerical keypad to enter the registration code.
4. Tap the Register button.
Do the following to enter the registration code after the 30-day evaluationperiod has expired:
1. Open Floor Plan from the Applications menu. The registration information screen appears.
2. Tap Enter Registration. The Enter Reg Code screencontaining a numerical keypad appears. The Name
3. Tap the numerical keypad to enter the registration code.
4. Tap the Register button.
Please e-mail us at
There are several ways to get in touch with us. E-mail is preferred. If youhave any questions, comments, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contactus.
Internet: info@standalone.com
Fax: (773) 477-2579
Please e-mail us at
Therefore Floor Planis designed to be a tool to draw representational, or scale drawings. It is nota free-form drawing program, and is more constrained in its abilities than sucha program would be.
This section summarizes the screens, controls and featuresof the software.
A single record is called a drawing
Tap the name of a drawing to open it. For example, tap thewords rec room on the screen shown inFigure 1 to open the drawing drawing named rec room
Table 2 summarizes the start screen controls.
Control | Name | Action |
Sort Selector | Select from the pull-down menu to sort drawings in ascending order by name, creation date, or modification date. | |
View Selector | Select from the pull-down menu to view the names, creation dates, or modification dates of drawings. | |
Category Selector | Select from pull-down menu to view drawings saved within specific categories. | |
New Button | Begin a new drawing. |
Table 1 Start Screen Controls
Tap the Menu buttonto the left of the graffiti pad, or the words Floor Plan
Options → | Action | Comments |
Preferences | Opens the Preferences dialog box. | Read section 4.1, Changing Measurement Units . |
Set Colors | Opens the Show Date/Edit Colors screen. | Read section 4.2, Changing Color Settings. |
Beam Software | Beams the Floor Plan software package to another Palm handheld. |
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Beam Database | Beams all Floor Plan drawings to another Palm handheld. Note that this is a two step process. You must beam the software and the Math library separately. |
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Enter Registration Code | Enter registration information for Floor Plan software. |
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About Floor Plan | Show version information of Floor Plan software. |
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Use the layout screento view and edit drawing drawings. The drawing opened on the layout screen isthe current drawing.
The title bar shows the name of the current drawing. Below this is a text area where Floor Plan shows information about thecurrently selected element in the drawing. In Figure 2, the text areashows the words Unnamed wall, as thewall is as yet untitled.. The text area is empty when no drawing elements areselected.
The layout screen contains a button tool bar on the bottomof the screen. This area varies depending on whether a wall or object is selected.
Icon | Name | Purpose |
Item is selected | ||
Quit-and-Save | Save the current drawing and return to the start screen. | |
Info | View or edit selected wall or object information. | |
Eraser | Erase the selected wall or object. | |
Protractor (wall selected only) | Show angles (in degrees) between adjacent walls. | |
XY Components (wall selected only) | Show the horizontal and vertical components of the distance between the tail of the selected wall and the boundary walls. | |
Zoom | Magnify the current drawing. | |
Nothing is selected | ||
Quit-and-Save | | |
Hammer | Create a new wall or object | |
Ruler | View wall lengths | |
Area Tool | Calculate the areas of full or partial enclosures. | |
Notebook | Enter notes about the drawing. | |
Zoom | |
Table 3 Layout Screen Controls
Tap the Menu button tothe left of the graffiti pad, or the words Floor Plan
Drawing → | Action | Comments |
Undo | Undo the last change in a wall or object. | |
Redo | Redo the last undone change in a wall or object. | |
Set Name | Opens the Set Drawing Name dialog box.
| Read section 4.10.1, Naming a Drawing.
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Revert to Saved | Discards any changes that were made since the current drawing was last saved. |
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Duplicate Drawing | Makes a copy of the current drawing. | Unnamed drawings cannot be duplicated. Name the current drawing before attempting to duplicate it. |
Delete Drawing | Delete the current drawing without saving it. |
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Beam Drawing | Beams the current drawing to another handheld. | Read section 4.10.6, Beaming Drawings. |
Fix All | Fixes walls and objects so they cannot be moved. | Read section 4.5.7, Fixing Walls. |
Unfix All Walls | Unfixes walls and objects so they can be moved. |
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Recalculate Floor Area | Recalculates and draws floor areas with colors and shading (on color handhelds) | Read section 4.9, Calculating Areas. |
Table 4 Drawing Menu
The start screen and layout screen have the same Options
This section explains how to set up and create drawings.
To open the Preferences screen(Figure 3), select Options → Preferences
Floor Plan applies the Starting units
Checking the Show Help Screens
Do the following to change the color of drawing elementssuch as walls, doors, or measurements (Color enabled handhelds only):
1.
2. Click the color bar to the right of an element such as Door
3. Tap the desired color on the palette.
4. Tap the OK button. Floor Plan applies the new color to the element.
5.
Tap the Set Default Colors button to restore the default color settings.
Floor Plan automatically adjusts its palette according tothe graphics capabilities of the handheld on which it is installed. Forexample, Floor Plan shows a 4-color palette for a 4-color display, and a256-color palette for a 256-color display.
Do the following to create a new drawing:
Boundary walls are the sides of the rectangle surrounding adrawing. Boundary walls cannot be altered, and new walls cannot be addedoutside of them.
A real boundary wallrepresents an actual wall. The plan for a rectangular building typicallyhas four real boundary walls. (Figure 4)
A virtual boundary wallis a line that marks a given length on the drawing, but does not physicallyexist. The patio deck drawing in Figure 5 has a virtual east boundary wall thatrepresents empty yard space.
Do the following to add a virtual boundary wall.
The Virtual checkboxcan be unchecked at any time to restore a normal wall.
A square corner is adrawing that has two adjacent virtual boundary walls. Do the following tobegin a corner drawing:
Another way to create a corner drawing is to create a Rectangle
Inner Walls arecreated within the boundary walls. This section explains how to work withinner walls.
Do the following to add an inner wall:
Tapping an empty area instead of a wall in step 2 producesno results because a new wall must always connect to another wall. The wallproviding the connection point is called the base wall
A head(H) symbol anda tail(T) symbol mark theendpoints of a wall. Use the boxes that contain these symbols as handles tomove the endpoints of inner walls.
When no walls are selected, no head or tail symbols areshown.
When a wall other than the wall in question is selected, theunselected walls show the H and T symbols.
When a wall is selected, its active end is drawn as an openrectangle, and its inactive end as a closed rectangle. The active end is theend that is moved as the wall position is changed, and it is also the end whoseposition will be changed when the hard buttons at the bottom of the handheldare pressed.
Do the following to move an inner wall head or tail with thestylus:
When adding a new wall, holding the stylus on the connectionpoint allows you to immediately drag the tail of the new wall into the desiredposition.
Dragging a wall head or tail may change both the length and angleof the wall. The next section explains how to view the numeric values ofthese measurements.
The ruler, protractor, and XY ruler tools located on thelower toolbar (Table 7) show numeric wall measurements.
Icon | Name | Purpose |
Ruler | View wall lengths and lengths between wall junction points. | |
Protractor | View angles (in degrees) between adjacent walls. | |
XY Ruler | View the horizontal and vertical components of the distance between the tail of the selected wall and the boundary walls. |
Table 7 Measurement Tools
Tap a measurement tool icon once to view the measurements.Tap the icon a second time to hide the measurements. Notice that Floor Planactively updates the measurements as you drag the heads or tails of innerwalls.
The stylus is not precise enough to control smalladjustments, and some adjustments are not accounted for by changes in the drawnposition of the wall. In other words, you can make small increments in thelength or position of a wall without actually causing the wall to move on thescreen. Use the hard buttons (Figure 6) to move a wall head or tail (Figure 7)in steps of 1/8 inch (or 1 centimeter in metric mode), or larger increments ifthe wall is over 50’ in length.
Select a wall with the stylus before using the hardbuttons. The
Button Name | Action |
Date Book Button | Switch focus between head and tail. |
Address Book Button | Move endpoint left. |
Scroll Up Button | Move endpoint up. Scroll up if boundary wall is selected. |
Scroll Down Button | Move endpoint down. Scroll down if boundary wall is selected. |
To Do List Button | Move endpoint right. |
Memo Pad Button | Switch focus between head and tail. |
Table 8 Hard Button Functions
Use the Wall Info screen to view orchange the properties of a wall. (Figure 8)
To open this screen, select a wall and tap theinformationicon, or tap and hold the stylus over a wall.
If desired, enter the Name field andenter a name for the wall. This name will appear in the text area of the layoutscreen when the wall is selected.
The from head row shows the distancebetween the head of wall and the head of its base wall. Select thenumeric fields with the stylus and change them via the graffiti pad in order toreposition the head of the wall in relation to the head of the base wall. Usethe pull-down selector to specify fractional lengths.
The length row shows the length ofthe wall. Select these fields with the stylus and change them via thegraffiti pad in order to increase or decrease the length of the wall. Use thepull-down selector to specify fractional lengths. If you enter a length that islarger than the maximum length of the wall (the length at which it intersectsanother wall) then the length will be set to the maximum.
Tap the Erase button to erase theselected wall.
Tap the Notes button to enter noteslinked to the drawing.
The following sections explain how to use the Fixed
Fixing a wall ensures that it cannot be inadvertently movedlater. Do the following to fix a wall:
To fix all of the walls in the drawing at once, select FixAll from the Drawing
A virtual inner wall can be used like a tape measure to markthe position of actual walls. The virtual wall in Figure 9 shows where exactly 19’5/8”
A virtual inner wall can also provide a base wall for astructure that is surrounded by empty floor space. Figure 10 shows adrawing in which a virtual wall provides a base wall for an isolated supportbeam.
Do the following to add a virtual inner wall:
Virtual walls behave like real walls, with the exceptionsthat real walls may cross virtual walls, and that virtual walls are ignored infloor area calculations.
Aligning an inner wall with a boundary wall ensures that itwill always form exact 90 degree corners with other aligned walls. Thissimplifies the creation of rectangular forms. Do the following to align aninner wall:
Do the following steps to erase a wall.
Note: A base wall cannot be erased before its branchingwalls are erased.
Windows and doors can be added to any walls. Do thefollowing steps to add a door:
Figure 11 Wall without Door | Figure 12 Detail Screen |
Figure 13 Doors/Windows Screen | Figure 14 Wall with Door |
Repeat this procedure to add windows or other wallfeatures. In step 8, check Windowfor a window or Other for a wallfeature that is not a window or door, such as a painting, clock, or mirror.
The Doors/Windowsscreen (Figure 13) lists the elements—doors, windows, and other features—addedto the wall. Each element in the list has four sections which show, fromleft to right, the element type (Dfor door, W for window, O
Floor Plan also letsyou add objects to your drawings to represent furniture and other free-standingthings. Your objects may be circular or rectangular, and rectangular objectsmay tilt to any angle. Objects to do interact with walls in any way, nor withother objects
To create an object:
To move an object,tap, and immediately drag in any direction. Movement is constrained by theboundary walls. You may also use the hard buttons to make small movements in ahorizontal and vertical direction.
To modify an object,tap and hold. The Object Info screen is opened, and you may enter newattributes.
Rectangle Objectscan be rotated by entering a non-zero angle attribute. A negative anglerepresents counter-clockwise rotation from the horizontal. The object is drawnas an outline and may be moved freely.
Objects may be fixedlike walls, by checking the fixed checkbox. A fixed object will have a smallcross at its center.
Circle Objects aremanaged much like rectangle objects, except there is no angle attribute, andonly 1 dimension.
The area toolcalculates the floor areas of rooms and partial enclosures. To view floorarea information:
1.
2.
3.
The color fillsappear only after Floor Plan recalculates a new set of areas, after theposition of walls have been changed. Select Recalculate Floor Area
Moving a wall causesFloor Plan to hide area measurements and put the area tool icon into an off(gray) state. This enables you to tap the tool again and recalculate the areameasurements.
Note that floor areameasurements are estimates based on the drawing itself, which is not drawn toexact scale. Therefore, even regions which have equal areas may not displaywith equal results.
This Section explains how to name, save, categorize, andshare drawings.
To name a drawing:
You must name a drawing before duplicating it.
Select Duplicate Drawing from the Drawing menu once adrawing has been named and saved. A copy of the drawing will be created withthe same name and “copy” appended to the end of the name. You may copy a singledrawing multiple times.
Reverting to a saved drawing discards any changes that weremade since the drawing was last saved. Select Drawing
Drawings can be organized into categories such as Business
Create new categories as you would with any native Palm OSapplication.
To transfer a drawing to another Palm device using the infra-redbeam, select Drawing → BeamDrawing from the menu options, or enter /B
HotSync, Palm Powered, and Palm OS are registered trademarks of Palm, Inc.