# How to use the combined book and CD

Both the printed book and electronic book contain the same fundamental content on a page-by-page basis. They can therefore be used independently and interchangeably, according to the preferred learning style of the student, teaching style of the department, or method of easiest reference for the professional.

## Differences between the printed book and the CD

You may read the printed book without reference to the CD as the book contains all the fundamental information you need to learn about digital communications. The CD contains the same content as the book in browsable electronic form along with these additional features to enhance the learning experience:

- animated figures to aid understanding
- linked cross-references for ease of exploration
- hyperlinks to further information on the World Wide Web
- MATLAB code, ready to run simulations
- answers to problems from the printed text.

In the book, icons indicate where the animations, weblinks and MATLAB code feature on the CD.

## Systems requirements

The software on the CD is in 16-bit form and is designed for use with PC/Windows (3.1, '95, NT) and Macintosh machines with at least 8Mb RAM. It has been optimized for use on Pentium PCs or PowerMACs.

Hyperlinks from the product to related material on the World Wide Web will only function if you have an active Internet connection already set up.

The product supports its own bookmarking function using the browser's internal Cookie software. If you usually disable Cookies in your browser you will be unable to bookmark pages of the electronic book.

The viewing window has been designed for optimum layout of the text and graphics without need for scrolling. However, at screen resolutions below the common SuperVGA (800 x 600) you may have to scroll to access all the information on the screen.

The electronic book is designed to be viewed using Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 or later. Some features may not operate in other browsers.

## Installing and starting the electronic book

These electronic book files are designed to be viewed using the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser version 4.0 or later. To install the browser on your machine, follow the instructions given in the README on the CD.

To start the ‘book’ after installing the browser:

1. Start Internet Explorer 4
2. (PC) Choose File from the Menubar and Open from the File menu. Click on the Browse button to obtain a file listing.
2. (MAC) Choose File from the Menubar and Open file ... from the File menu.
3. Choose the drive and directory/folder containing the the product (eg CD drive or network drive if the product is networked), and open the file start.htm. This launches the opening screen. You may want to add this page to your browser’s 'favourites' so that you can locate it quickly next time.
4. Click on the Start button. The main window for the electronic book will appear. If not all of the window is visible, reposition the window and/or see the notes under systems requirements.

## Navigating around the electronic book

### Buttons on the left-hand side of the screen

You can navigate to any part of the book by using the buttons appearing down the left-hand side of the screen.

How to use /Preface | Click on How to use/Preface to get instructions on how to use the electronic product or to read the Preface of the book.
Contents | Click on Contents to see the contents of the entire book. Clicking on any topic in the Contents will link directly to the relevant page.
Chapter buttons eg 1 Background material | To start exploring a new chapter, click on the relevant chapter button, eg 1 Background material. You will see a list of sections available in that chapter. Choose a section to explore, either by clicking on a topic in the list or by using the section tabs (see below). Alternatively, you may go back to the page you were looking at before by using the Back button (see below).
Section tabs | Click on a section tab to see the contents of that section within the current chapter. You will see a list of pages available within that section. Choose a page to begin reading at by clicking on a topic in the list. Alternatively, you may go back to the page you were looking at before by using the Back button (see below).

At any time, the chapter and section you are reading are highlighted by a change in colour of the chapter buttons and section tabs. The chapter and section number and title of the current section are also given in small print at the top of the main page.

Glossary | Click on Glossary to see the glossary of abbreviations and other terms.
References | Click on References to see the list of references for the book.
Index | Click on Index to see an index to the electronic book. Clicking on a topic within the index will link you back to the key entry for that subject in the book.

### Buttons at the foot of the screen

Further buttons at the foot of the screen aid navigation and provide links to AWL's website.

Updates & Feedback | Click on Updates/Feedback to jump to the book's homepage on the AWL website, where you can send us feedback and find updates and supplementary material for the book. (This will only function if you have an active Internet connection already set up.)
Bookmark this page | Click Bookmark this page to add the page you are looking at to your list of bookmarks. You can bookmark up to twenty individual pages.
View bookmarks | Click View bookmarks to see a list of all pages you have bookmarked. You may link directly to any bookmarked page by clicking on the underlined title. You may delete any existing bookmark by clicking on its Delete button.
Back | Click on Back to go back to the page you were reading before the current one (not necessarily the same as the page that precedes the current one). The Back button will work more than once in sequence, eg you can go back to the page you were looking at three before the current one by clicking back three times.
Previous page | Click on Previous page to jump to the page that precedes the current page in the book's sequence.
Next page | Click on Next page to jump to the page that follows the current page in the book's sequence.

## Features within the page and display conventions

The following display conventions and features can be found within individual pages.

Pale blue text
  is used to highlight important terms and concepts.

Blue underlined text
  indicates a cross-reference to further information within the book. Clicking on the link takes you to the topic, so for example you can follow a link to learn about a new, related topic or to refresh your memory about an old one. This linked approach encourages flexible learning styles and allows the book to be layered, with more in-depth information, or more detailed explanation/revision, only offered to you if requested or required.

Red underlined text
  indicates a hypertext link to related information on the World Wide Web. Clicking on the link opens a new window containing the relevant page. These links will only function if you have an active Internet connection already set up.

Blue panel

  is used to indicate definitions of key concepts.

Many pages are accompanied by further material in the form of in-depth sections, worked examples, questions and MATLAB code. Where there is further material associated with a main page, relevant buttons appear in the top-right corner of the main page. Clicking on the button will open a new window which contains the requested information and can be viewed simultaneously with the main book screen. This linked approach encourages flexible learning styles and allows the book to be layered, with more in-depth information, or more detailed explanation/revision, only offered to you if requested or required.

In-depth | The in-depth link in the top-right corner of a main page indicates that more detailed text relating to this topic is available. This might be more detail of the mathematics behind the material introduced on the page, or other reference material. Clicking on the link launches a separate window containing the in-depth material. You may leave the in-depth window open and continue browsing in the main window, if you want to refer to the in-depth again later; otherwise use the Close button to close it.
Example #.# | The Example #.# link in the top-right corner of a main page indicates that there is a worked example relating to this material. Clicking on the link launches a separate window containing the relevant example. Whilst in the example window you may also access other examples within that chapter by using the dropdown menu. You may leave the example window open and continue browsing in the main window, if you want to refer to the example again later; otherwise use the Close button to close it.
Question #.# | The Question #.# link in the top-right corner of a main page indicates that there is a question relating to this material. Clicking on the link launches a separate window containing the relevant question. The Show answer button reveals the solution to the question. Whilst in the question window you may also access other questions within that chapter by using the dropdown menu. You may leave the question window open and continue browsing in the main window, if you want to refer to the question again later; otherwise use the Close button to close it.
| The MATLAB link in the top-right corner of a main page indicates that there is MATLAB code which generated the graph/plot on the page is available on the CD. You can use the code with MATLAB version 4 onwards to resimulate the results and you may be able to vary relevant parameters. Clicking on the link will tell you the name of the relevant MATLAB file on the CD, and what it will allow you to do.