This section provides a very gentle introduction to LargoRecipes, showing you its most basic features. You'll type in and save a recipe for blueberry pancakes. If you're a computer whiz, you may be able to zip through this section very fast; if you aren't, don't worry - I make it as painless as possible to learn LargoRecipes.
In this section:
Starting the program
To figure out what to do first, answer this question:
How did you get this demonstration page on your screen?
If the answer is, "I started LargoRecipes and picked Demonstration
from a menu," then you don't need to follow the instructions below,
which tell you how to do what you've already done.
On the other hand, if the answer is "I clicked a link on a web page," or "I opened a file on my computer after installing LargoRecipes," or anything else like that, then you need to follow these steps:
largorecipes-x.x.x.x.jar file (those x's are just the standins
for the real version numbers, of course). (If you are using Microsoft Windows,
you may not see the .jar part of the name.) LargoRecipes will
start running.Entering the recipe
Before we start using the program, here's a warning:
LargoRecipes is now using a temporary database, with data specially designed for this
demonstration. Any data you save now will be lost as soon as you quit LargoRecipes.
So don't start entering your Grandmum's entire recipe book now - you'll just have to do
it again later. Instead, when you're finished with the demonstration, quit LargoRecipes.
Then, next time you start LargoRecipes, you'll be ready to enter and save your own
recipes. LargoRecipes puts a warning on the screen to remind you about this.
OK, let's get started! Click the Recipes menu item, then New, then Recipe. What you see is a new window called the recipe frame. (A frame is a window you use inside the large LargoRecipes window.) Your screen should now look like this:
We're going to enter a recipe called Buttermilk Pancakes. Type this name in the field at the very top, just above the word Ingredient, and press tab or enter.
Notice the title grows to a nice big title size, and the
name of the window changes too. That big title looks uneditable -
what if we change our minds and want to name the recipe something
different? Never fear - double-click anywhere on the title and
change it to Blueberry Pancakes, which is what I've decided we
should call it instead (since the blueberries are the delicious
part!).
When you're done, the screen should look like this:
Now click in the first row of the ingredient list, then type "1 cup flour". Press tab after you're done typing.
If you get an error box on the screen, maybe one that
looks like this:
you probably didn't spell something correctly - maybe you typed "1 cap flour" or "1 cup flower" or "q cup flour". LargoRecipes can't understand you when you make a mistake like this; it does try to tell you what it understood so you can fix the problem. Click the OK button in the box and try again, being really sure to type the words carefully. (Notice that LargoRecipes erases your incorrect entry after you click OK in the error box. This is so you don't get confused and think it understood and recorded something that it actually didn't comprehend.)
Sometimes, you get this error even though you typed
the ingredient correctly. This is because LargoRecipes tries hard to
understand every possible ingredient phrase you might type, but can't always
succeed. Use the edit button to enter these
rare ingredients. (You'll learn about this button in the next section. Click the
words "edit button" to jump ahead to that lesson.)
Please write to the author to tell him about
any ingredients you encounter like this, so he can improve LargoRecipes.
Below is a list of the rest of the ingredients. Type them in successive rows of the ingredient list, pressing tab after each one. Be careful to spell correctly - if you get an error, click OK and type again, very carefully.
Here's some things to notice and to try as you enter these ingredients:
LargoRecipes makes measurements green and ingredients
red. This helps you check that LargoRecipes is recording your recipe
as you intended it. For instance, try comparing "1 clove"
and "1 clove garlic".
You can use adjectives to describe your ingredients: 1/2 cup
fresh blueberries;
1 egg, lightly beaten. The
adjectives aren't coloured on the screen, and LargoRecipes doesn't use
them when making shopping lists.
Now it's time to enter the instructions for making the pancakes. Here are the instructions:
Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre, and add the milk, butter, and egg. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients, then whisk until the mixture forms a smooth batter. Cover and let rest for 1 hour. Mix in the pecans and blueberries.
Lightly brush a skillet with oil. Heat the oil over high heat, then pour a small ladleful of batter into the pan. Swirl to coat the pan with the batter and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 12 pancakes.
Heat the maple syrup and cinnamon in a pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, then simmer for 2 minutes. Let cool. Arrange three pancakes on each plate. Garnish each plate with blueberries and serve with the cinnamon-infused maple syrup poured over the top.
Type these instructions in the big box at the bottom of the Recipe frame. You don't need to press enter at the end of each line - LargoRecipes automatically wraps words to the next line for you. It's OK to enter only part of the instructions if your fingers get tired.
Correcting mistakes
What should you do if you notice you made a mistake in an ingredient you typed in earlier - for instance, if you type everything in and then realise you entered 1 tablespoon baking powder instead of 1 teaspoon? And how do you delete extra rows (for instance, if you tried some of the experiments I suggested above?) Don't worry - this is easy to do.
First, click the row that has the mistake. Then, click the button
with a picture of a rubbish bin 
, which
will delete the row with the mistake. Finally, if you want to add a
corrected ingredient, click the last row, then
enter the right ingredient. All fixed!
Notice that your ingredients may now be in a different order from mine. This won't matter for anything LargoRecipes does. In a future release, I plan to let you reorder your ingredients.
Saving the recipe
You've finished entering the recipe! Now click the button with a picture of a disk
to save the
recipe.
Finally, close the recipe frame by clicking the X in its upper right-hand corner - it's circled in this screenshot:
You're done! In the next lesson, you'll learn how to look up this and other recipes, plan one or more meals, and make shopping lists!
Feel free to take a break and return to the demonstration later. To do this, pick Quit from the LargoRecipes menu. When you want to come back, just pick Demonstration from the LargoRecipes menu again to get started. (Read the section on starting LargoRecipes if you forget how to start LargoRecipes.) However, if you quit now, don't expect the Blueberry Pancakes recipe to be there when you return - the demonstration starts with a clean slate every time. (The other sections of the tour don't assume that you have this recipe in place, so this won't keep you from continuing the tour.)
Last updated 4 November 2002
LargoRecipes source code, program, and web site copyright 2001-3 D.
Squirrel
This product is RecipeML compatible.