Make a Manual Backup Board Using PASS™
Manual Boards
This tool allows you to create manual boards that can match your device overlays and vocabulary.
Create Options:
• Create a board that represents CORE, including the Activity Row
• Create a board from a Page selected from a list of all the Pages in the Area
• Create a board that represents what is currently in view—Page or CORE.
• Create a blank board from any of the standard PRC overlay sizes
* You cannot create a board that represents the Toolbox
* If Vocabulary Masking is On, the board will not show masked items.
Edit
• Select a board to edit from a list of saved boards. Manual boards are saved as BRD files.
Delete
• Select a board to delete from a list of saved boards.
If you also saved the board as a graphic (BMP) or a document (RTF), those files will
also be deleted.
• Select a board to e-mail from a list of saved boards.
The selected board (BRD) file is zipped and added to a blank e-mail message, ready to be addressed and sent.
If you also saved the board as a document (RTF) or graphic (BMP), those files will be
bundled and zipped with the BRD file.
Go to File
• Document
This allows you to find RTF files anywhere on the computer or a USB drive. RTF files are opened in WordPad or the word processing program you set in the Preferences menu.
• Graphic
This allows you to find BMP files anywhere on the computer or a USB drive. BMP files are opened in MS Paint or the graphics program you set in the Preferences menu.
Transfer
• Save Board(s)
This starts in the default Manual Board folder and allows you to select BRD, RTF and
BMP files to save to a USB drive or other folder on your computer.
• Load Board(s)
This allows you to select BRD, RTF and BMP files from a USB drive or another
folder on your computer. They are copied into the default Manual Boards folder. It
will warn you if a file already exists.
The Create/Edit Board Screen
Notice that the first key in the first row of the board is highlighted. You can click on the
key to select and work on it or you can select another key to work on.
Options in this Menu:
Clear Key Contents
• Clears the currently selected key's contents.
Change Visual Scene
• Takes you to the Visual Scene menu to add or change a visual scene on the board
(works the same as in the Modify Page menu).
Change Label
Change Icon
Change Key Color
• These three options work the same way they do in any device menu.
Import Icons
• Takes you to the Icon import menu.
Swap Keys
• Takes you to the Swap Keys menu.
• Keys show with 3D effect even the board is defined with a colored border.
Key Labels
• Choose TOP, BOTTOM or OFF.
• This does not change any settings in the FEEDBACK MENU.
Border Thickness
• Default is NONE and shows the 3D effect on all keys.
• Choose THIN, MEDIUM or THICK to have a colored border instead of the 3D key effect.
• For no border and no 3D effect, select something other than NONE and use white as the border color.
Select Border Color
• Default is BLACK.
• Takes you to the Advanced Color Menu with "infinite" color possibilities.
• This option is disabled if the Border Thickness option is set to NONE.
Export Board
• Takes you to a menu where you can save printable (BMP and/or RTF) versions of the
board you are working on.
• Save
If you have a newly created board that has not yet been saved, this option works just
like the "Save As" option.
Allows you to save changes to the board you are currently working on.
• Save As
Select the folder to save the board in.
Enter a name for the board.
Select this option if you are editing an existing board and want to keep it but also want a copy of the board to use later for something else.
• Cancel
Exits the menu without saving any changes to the board.
If you were working on a new, unsaved board, this exits you from the menu and discards the board.
The Export Board Menu
The Export Board menu allows you to save your board as a text document (RTF), a
graphic (BMP) or a Page.
Export Size
• Sets the size of the bitmap that gets created for the graphics or word processing program.
• Choices are Vanguard Actual Size (9 1/2 x 5.4375), Vantage Actual Size (6 5/8 x
3.875), ECO Actual Size (11 1/8 x 6 3/8), Full Sheet (6 x 10.5), Half Sheet (4.6 x 8)
Export as Document
• Opens an RTF form of the board you are working on in your default word processing
program. (The default is WordPad. You can set a preference in the PASS File menu.)
• If changes have been made, asks if you want to save them before it opens the file.
Export as Graphic
• Opens a BMP form of the board you are working on in your default graphics
program. (The default is MSPaint. You can set a preference in the PASS File menu.)
• If changes have been made, asks if you want to save them before it opens the file.
Save as Device Page
• Creates a Page with keys that look just like the board cells.
• Cell label will be used for Page key message. If there is no label, the Text Display
Area will recognize a space.
• Use MODIFY PAGE to store macros, etc.
When Creating/Editing and Exporting Boards:
This is where you create and save a BRD file that tells PASS how the board is going to
be displayed.
This is where you tell PASS to transform your board into an RTF (document) or BMP
(graphic) file that you can customize, print, e-mail, etc.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When printing overlays/boards, set your printer preferences to landscape to insure a proper fit on your page.
NOTE: Anytime you export a board as a document or graphic, PASS creates it as a
brand new file and any previous file with the same name will be deleted. It will not
modify a previously saved file.
You can also save RTF and BMP files to a folder on your computer or USB drive.
You will not find your RTF and BMP files if you go to the Tools: Manual Board: Edit
file. You will only see the BRD files you have created. Use the Go to File and Transfer
options in the Tools: Manual Board menu to see all the files you have saved: BRD, RTF
and BMP
TIP – Laminating your board can make it last longer.
