COM 215 COMPUTER APPLICATION PACK

Lecture Notes on
COMPUTER APPLICATION PACKAGES II
(COM 215)

For the Students of

SCIENCE LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY,

HARRY PASS POLYTECHNIC, MKAR-GBOKO.

COMPILED BY:
IORLAHA, SAMUEL K.
09079447627
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COMPUTER GRAPHICS

Graphics often combine text, illustration, and color. Graphic design may consist of the

deliberate selection, creation, or arrangement of typography alone, as in a brochure, flier,

poster, web site, or book without any other element. It involves computations, creation, and

manipulation of data. In other words, we can say that computer graphics is a rendering tool

for the generation and manipulation of images.

Computer graphics are graphics created by computers and, more generally, the representation

and manipulation of pictorial data by a computer. The term computer graphics includes

almost everything on computers that is not text or sound. Today nearly all computers use

some graphics and users expect to control their computer through icons and pictures rather

than just by typing.

The term Computer Graphics has several meanings:

 the representation and manipulation of pictorial data by a computer

 the various technologies used to create and manipulate such pictorial data

 the sub-field of computer science which studies methods for digitally synthesizing

and manipulating visual content.

Applications Areas of Computer Graphics

Some application areas of computer graphics are the following

Computational biology

Computational physics

Computer-aided design

Computer simulation
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Digital art

Desktop publishing

Education

Graphic design

Information visualization

Scientific visualization

Video Games

Virtual reality

Web design

Examples of Graphic Packages

But for this course we will lay more emphasis on Desktop Publishing and Corel Draw will be

used for Desktop Publishing.

Starting CorelDraw

CorelDraw is a windows program. Because of that it runs only on windows environment.

Since it is a windows program, it can be accessed through normal procedures adopted in

loading other windows programs.

Method 1:

 Click on start on the Task bar

 Point to programs

 Select CorelDraw

 Click CorelDraw
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Method 2:

 Double click on its icon if found on the Desktop or click once and press enter key.

Method 3:

 Right click CorelDraw icon on the desktop

 Click open

Any of the above or other method used will load CorelDraw for you after numerous

processing have been taken place by the system. Such process includes Loading User

Settings, Enumerating Fonts, and Creating Application Environment etc. after all these the

program loads and launches a ‘Welcome to CorelDraw’ (Welcome Screen) window where a

choice is to be made to start working.

There are six (6) options found on the ‘Welcome to CorelDraw’ window;

1. New Graphic: This takes you to CorelDraw environment to start designing from

scratch.

2. Open Last Edited: This option Open the last save work.

3. Open Graphic: The Open Graphic option opens all CorelDraw other program’s files

displaying in a dialog box.

4. Templates: The word Template is used to describe pre-designed graphics. It opens

samples of designs for you to select and develop your design on it.

5. Corel Tutor: This is a tutorial option. It teaches you how to use CorelDraw.

6. What’s New?: This tells you about the new features of version that advanced it.

Pointing on any of the options displays below the options a short description of the icon. E.g.

if you point on CorelTUTOR, the short explanation of the icon appears as ‘follow step-by-
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step instructions on completing dozens of tasks from creating objects to publishing your

work’

Some of these new features are:

1. On Screen Look and Feel: Multiple Color Palettes, Automatic Web Link, Sound

Feedback, Enhance Docker Windows etc.

2. Productivity and Performance: Common Workspaces, Publish to PDF, Link

Manager Docker Window and Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications dwell as

IXLA Digital Camera Interface.

3. Interactive Tools: Interactive Contour tool, Enhanced Connector Line Tool, Mesh

Fill Tool, Perspective Drop Shadow.

4. Convenience Features: Enhance Rectangle tool, Preset Guidelines, Live Smoothing,

Live Positioning and Sizing, Enhanced Node Reduction with shape tool etc.

CorelDraw Environment

The CorelDraw environment has some components similar with Ms Word, but there’s need to

explore it has done in other programs.

Title Bar: Shows the program icon, name and file name as well as the control buttons.

Menu Bar: Displays menus (roots commands). They (menus) are; File, Edit, View, Layout,

Arrange, Effects, Bitmaps, Text, Tools and Window.

Standard Bar: The Shortcut to sub-commands from the menu bar.

Property Bar: Displays properties of a selected tool.

Vertical & Horizontal Ruler: These shows the drawing units in form of ruler for taking

measurements.
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Toolbox: Presents drawing implements used in CorelDraw.

Vertical & Horizontal Scroll Bars: Helps to move up/down, left/right on the drawing

window.

Color Palette: View colors to be used when designing.

Printable Page: The rectangle with the drop shadow at the centre of the drawing window.

Drawing Window: The large white portion of the CorelDraw application window.

Exploring the Toolbox

Toolbox is significant to CorelDraw user as gun to a soldier. As a carpenter make use of

hammer, hacksaw, jackplane etc, in his workshop and a mechanic has tools to fasten his

mechanical work, CorelDraw users also need tools to aid designing.

If you ask an Artist to draw, the first thing he/she thinks about is what to use and draw.

Hence, needs paper, pencil, ruler, cleaner etc. CorelDraw tools are not physical like the ones

mentioned above. Let’s now look at them to identify their names and functions.

1. Pick Tool: It is the master tool. It is the default active tool when CorelDraw is loaded.

It is used to off any other active tool. Simply click on it to off the active tool. It is

also used to select commands and tools.

Tool’s Flyout

Some tools have a small arrow in the lower-left corner. If you click on this arrow,

other tools appear, and you can transform these tools into other tools.

Tool’s Reference Bar

The property bar changes to reference bar when a tool is selected. This shows the

components of the selected tool and allows more access to the tool in use.
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2. Shape Tool: Shape tool lets you manipulate nodes and path to change the shape of an

object or text. The shape tool has a flyout. The tools in the flyout are:

(a) Knife Tool: As the name implies, it is used to cut out part of an object.

(b) Eraser Tool: It cleans parts of an object.

3. Zoom Tool: Zoom tool is used to magnify an object or text.

(a) Hand or Pan Tool: It is used to move the screen by dragging.

4. Freehand Tool: Used for drawing lines and shapes. Freehand tool has a flyout.

(a) Bezier Tool: Bezier tool is used in drawing line with points and making curves.

It is easier than a freehand tool.

(b) Artistic Media Tool: This tool is also used to insert a handwritten text.

(c) Dimension Tool: This tool is mostly used in Architectural designs. It is used in

drawing dimensional lines.

(d) Connector Line Tool: The Connector line tool is used in drawing a line from

one point to the other.

(e) Interactive Connector Tool: The function of this tool goes almost the same

with the Dimension tool.

5. Rectangle Tool (F6): It is used to draw rectangle shapes and squares.

6. Ellipse Tools (F7): It is used to draw circles and oval shapes.

7. Polygon Tool (Y): It is used to draw polygons and stars. Polygon tool has a flyout.

(a) Spiral Tool (A): It creates spring object. We have two types of spiral shapes.

Logarithmic Spiral, and Symmetrical Spiral.

(b) Graph Tool (D): It is used to draw grids (graph).

8. Text Tool (F8): Typing in CorelDraw is possible only by the use of text tool.

9. Interactive Fill Tool (G): It helps you to apply a variety of fill to objects interactive

Fill Tool has a flyout;

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(a) Mesh Fill (M): Mesh fill tool allows you to fill and object with different colors

at points.

10. Interactive Transparency Tool: It is used to apply transparencies to object. It has

the following types; Uniform, Fountain, Pattern and Texture.

11. Interactive Drop Shadow Tool: It adds shadow to object or text. It has flyout.

(a) Interactive Blend Tool: Combines two or more objects in a designed way.

(b) Interactive Contour Tool: It helps to create a contour object i.e. an object with

tracks.

(c) Interactive Distortion Tool: Creates or transform an object or text in a distortion

form.

(d) Interactive Envelope Tool: Used to reshape objects or text other than shape tool.

(e) Interactive Extrude Tool: Changes objects to 3 Dimensional objects i.e. object

with three viewable sides.

12. Eyedropper Tool: Let you select a fill color from an object in your drawing.

13. Outline Tool: This does not work on its own. It opens fly out and displays different

outline styles to be selected. E.g. 2 points, 8 points, 12 points etc. It also allows you to

give an outline color by selecting from outline color. If an outline is not needed, no

outline option should be clicked from the outlines tool fly out.

14. Fill Tool: As in outline tool above, fill tool only opens fly out and let you choose and

apply variety of fills on an object.

Setting up Drawing Page

Before you start designing, you need to know the page size and the orientation you want to

use. You can change and customize the size, orientation and layout pages in your graphics

according to your needs.

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 With your pick tool, click on the paper type/size flyout (Different paper sizes appears)

 Click on the one you want E.g. A4, A3, Photo paper etc)

 From the drawing units, select units of your choice (e.g. Millimeters, inches etc)

Setting the Ruler

Notice that, after setting all the above, your ruler bar shows zero at the end of the printable

page (Horizontal Ruler). The vertical ruler does not show the zero at the same axis with the

horizontal ruler. Therefore, you have to set both the vertical and the horizontal zeros.

 Move your pick tool to the intersection of horizontal and vertical rulers

 Click and drag inside the printable page

Notice that, the horizontal and vertical rulers comes in.

 Make sure the axis are the same.

 Release the mouse button.

The horizontal and vertical rulers display zeros instantly at the same axis.

How to Select a Tool

 Clicking on any tool form the Toolbox selects it. You observe that the active tool

when CorelDraw is loaded is the pick tool. When intended to use another tool, simply

use the pick tool and click on the tool. The pick tool changes to the tool selected.

Selecting and Drawing a Rectangle

 Click on the rectangle tool, the pick tool changes to a rectangle

 Click where you want to draw and drag to draw.

 Release the mouse button after drawn to the desired size.

Drawing Squares Using Rectangle Tool

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 Click on the rectangle tool

 Click where you want to draw

 Press down the control key and drag to draw

Setting the Measurement of an Object

 Select the object e.g. rectangle

 From the property bar on the object(s) size

 Enter the measurement of your choice

 Press enter key.

 Drawing Ellipse and Circles

Ellipse

 Click on Ellipse tool

 Click where you want it to appear and drag to draw

Circles

 Select the ellipse tool

 Press down the control key as you are dragging to draw

Highlighting Object

The method of highlighting object is just by clicking on it once. If clicked twice it highlights

in rotation and skewing mode. When and object is highlighted, eight (8) black small squares

(nodes) are found on the corners and center of both the length and the height of such object.

Selecting Multiple Objects

 Method 1:

 Hold down the sift key

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 Click on the object you want to select

Method 2:

 Double click pick tool

Method 3:

 Hold down the sift key

 Click on each object to select them all

How to Apply Color to an Object

 Click once on an object if not already highlighted

 On the color palette, click on any color of your choice

Note: This fills the selected object but not the outline.

Object’s Outline

This is the line that forms the framework/boarder of an object

How to give outline color

 Click on an object you want to give it an outline color

 Right click on any color of your choice from the color palette

Using Outline Pen Dialog to Color Outline

 Select the object

 Click on outline tool flyout

 Click outline color dialog (F12)

 From the outline dialog box, click on the color of your choice
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 Click ok.

Increasing Line Weight

 Select the line you want to increase it’s outline

 From the Outline Pen dialog, select the line weight of your choice

 Click ok.

OR

 Select the line you want to increase it’s weight

 From the Outline tool’s flyout, select the line weight of our choice e.g. ½ point, 2

points etc.

How to zoom

 Click on the zoom tool from the toolbox

 Click once or click and drag across what you want to zoom

 Note: The zoom tool can magnify or reduce the shape of an object. To reduce

enlarging,

 Click on zoom out on the property bar or press F3

Kerning Object

 Kerning means, reducing or enlarging by holding at nodes on the corners reducing or

enlarging both the length and the width.

 Select the object you want to kern (E.g. rectangle)

 On any of the nodes at the corners, click and drag in to reduce or out to enlarge.

Note: This does not disfigure the object or texts but only the size.
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How to insert Columns

 Columns could be inserted only in a paragraph text. If column are to be inserted in an

artistic text, then the text should be converted to paragraph text.

 How to Insert Columns before Typing

 From the Text menu, click format text

 Select frames and columns tap

 Enter the number of columns and click ok.

How to Insert Drop Cap to Text

Select the letter you want to drop

Click show/hide Drop Cap on the property bar

OR

Press Ctrl + Shift + D

Inserting Bullet

 From the Text menu, click format text

 Select Effects tab from the dialog box that appears

 From the Effects Type, select Bullet

 From Font, select the Font of your choice select the bullet style you want

 Click ok.

How to Superscript and Subscript Text

 Select the text you want to superscript or subscript

 From the Format menu, select format text

 From Position, make your choice

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Applying Naira Sign (N)

 Type Capital Letter N

 Select the letter N

 From the Text menu, click format text (Ctrl+T)

 From the dialog box, select Font’s tab

 From the Strikethrough, select Double Thin

 Click Apply and click OK.

How to Fit Text to Path

 Type a text and draw an object (e.g. circle)

 Select the text by clicking on it

 Hold down the sift key and click on the object

 Click on text menu and click fit text to path

The text automatically fit round the object on top. You can fit it at the bottom of an object

also.

 After taking the above steps, click on text placement

 Select the down one from the options

Do the same fit at the sides of an object

How to Insert Page

CorelDraw gives one page when accessed. You may like to create a graphic of multiple

pages.

 From the layout menu, click insert page

 Type the number of pages you want add in the insert pages box
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 Click before or after to specify where you want to add page(s) relative to the current

page.

Saving Graphics

 From the file menu, click save as

 From the save as dialog box, type the file name

 Click save.

Converting File

You convert a file created in higher version but needs to open in a lower version.

 Follow steps 1-2 of the above

 Select form the list of versions the version you want to open with

 Click save.

To Rename a Page

 From the layout menu, click rename page

 Type the name for the page and click OK.

To Delete a Page

 Click Layout menu

 Click delete page

 Type in the page number and click OK.

To switch Page Orientation

 Right click on the page you want to change it’s orientation

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 Select and click switch page orientation.

How place an Object in a Container

 Select the object you want to place in a container

 From the Effects menu point to Power Clip

 Click Place inside container

 Click on the object’s outline

OR

 Move the object on right mouse button

 Move to the container and drop

 Select power clip insider from the options that appears

Editing a Picture inside a Container

Right click on the picture/object in the container

Click Edit Contents

Apply all the necessary editing processes

Right click again and click Finish Editing.

How to Set Print Layout

 Click Layout menu from the menu bar

 Click page setup

 From the page setup dialog box, click options

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 Select the layout style of your choice

 Click OK.

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

A database is a tool for collecting and organizing information. For example, as a database, a
phone book organizes a large amount of data—names, addresses, and phone numbers—so
you can access it by name in alphabetic order. Even a grocery list is a simple type of
database.

A computerized database management system (DBMS), such as Access, enables you to easily
collect large volumes of data organized into categories of related information.

This type of database allows you to store, organize, and manage your data, no matter how
complex it is, and then retrieve and present it in various formats and reports.

Elements of a Database

File A file is a collection of logically related records; e.g students file, stock file.

A record is a collection of logically related data fields; e. g Data relating to students in

students file. In a database table records are usually in rows.

A field is consecutive storage position of values. It is a unit of data within a record e. g

student’ s number, Name, Age.

Database Management System refers to software that ‘builds, manages and provides access to
a database’. Examples are Microsoft Access, FoxPro, Clipper, Oracle, Foxbase.

What is a Relational Database?

A relational database is a powerful tool which can help you store and manage large amounts
of information of various kinds. Databases enable you to organize and reorganize
information, quickly and flexibly retrieve information, and print quite a variety of reports.
The beauty of a relational database system is that you can store related data in separate tables.
Then through defining relationships between the tables you can retrieve the information in
the tables to use for making queries and writing reports.
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Microsoft Access will be considered for our study.

ASSIGNMENT QUESTION NO: ……

Detach this page and submit it together with the assignment.
1. In not less than two pages, explain the following concepts
i. Desktop Publishing
ii. Computer Aided Design
2. Differentiate between raster and vector graphics with relevant examples.